A Clinical Experience of Tympanic Paraganglioma and the Validity of This Term from a Histopathological Viewpoint

Abstract

The so-called glomus tumor in the temporal bone region is paraganglioma from a histopathological viewpoint. We report a case of tympanic paraganglioma and describe terminological validity to understand this disease clearly.
A 34 year old male, complained of left pulsating tinnitus. Tympanic paraganglioma was suspected from visualization through the tympanic membrane, and computed tomography and magnetic resonance image. During surgery, the existence of a tumor was confirmed in the region from the mesotympanum to the hypotympanum adjacent to the promontory. The tumor was surgically removed and the pulsating tinnitus ceased postoperatively.
For better understanding of the character of the tumor, we propose to call it not the glomus tumor but paraganglioma. If we use the term “glomus tumor” in the temporal bone region from a clinical viewpoint, we should recognize the histopathological difference between the so-called glomus tumor in the temporal bone region and the glomus tumor in the extremities.