落雷による鼓膜穿孔例

抄録

A 65-year-old man working near metallic fences during a thunderstorm was struck by lightning. He lost consciousness and experienced a dermal burn on the right side of his body (10% total body surface area). Even though he did not complain about any hearing problems after the event, we found that his tympanic membrane was ruptured. After 34 days, the perforation of the tympanic membrane spontaneously healed without any further problems. Otologic problems tend to be missed because of the priority given to other critical emergency problems. Lightning could cause many issues such as auditory problems, vestibular disorders and facial paralysis, so it is important to recognize that a patient who is struck by lightning should undergo a complete otolaryngological evaluation right away.