A Case of Glomus Tympanicum Tumor.

We report a case of glomus tympanicum tumor in a 27-year old female who presented with right hearing loss, fullness of ear and pulsatile tinnitus. Otoscopic examination revealed a reddish mass in the tympanic cavity through the tympanic membrane. CT scans and MR images revealed that the tumor was localized in the mesotympanium without bone destruction. Angiographic findings revealed that the tumor feeding artery was the ascending pharyngeal artery. The tumor was completely resected via a transmeatal approach after embolization of the ascending pharyngeal artery. Postoperatively tinnitus and fullness of ear disappeared. No recurrence was confirmed 3 years after surgery. We reviewed 38 cases including this case of glomus tympanic tumor previously reported in Japan. Preoperative embolization was very useful to control blood loss intraoperatively.