Molten Iron Fragment as a Middle Ear Foreign Body

Abstract

A 54-year-old man presented with a two-week history of hearing disturbance on the left. He reported that a molten iron fragment flew into his left ear while welding iron as a job. At that time he felt pain and vertigo. Furthermore, he noticed loss of taste on the affected side. A large tympanic membrane perforation was found. A computed tomogram of the temporal bone demonstrated a metal density foreign body in the middle ear. The foreign body was removed and tympanic membrane perforation was closed with the myringoplasty procedure. However, profound sensorineural hearing disturbance remained.