Middle ear meningiomas

Meningiomas arising in or presenting as middle ear lesions are relatively uncommon. This study retrospectively reviews the clinicopathologic features of six meningiomas arising in or extending into the middle ear. The patients comprise five women and one man ranging in age from 45 to 67 years (median, 55 years) at the time of surgery. Five tumors arose in the posterior fossa or temporal bone region and one tumor arose from the auditory canal itself. Three tumors arose on the right side and three on the left. Duration of symptoms before surgery involving the middle ear was known in five patients and ranged from 2 to 13 years (median, 10 years). Symptoms at presentation included gait or balance problems (n = 3), chronic otitis media (n = 2), diplopia (n = 2), hearing loss (n = 2), pain (n = 1), aural polyp (n = 1), and tinnitus (n = 1). Histologically, all six tumors resembled a syncytial (meningotheliomatous) meningioma. Psamomma bodies were noted in two tumors and two tumors demonstrated mild nuclear pleomorphism. None of the tumors demonstrated histologic features of atypical meningioma. Follow-up information was available in five patients. Four patients had prior surgery for removal of posterior fossa temporal bone meningiomas and developed recurrences involving the auditory canal 60 to 84 months after surgery. At the time of most recent follow-up examination, three patients were alive with evidence of tumor (65, 112, and 214 months), one patient was alive with no evidence of tumor (99 months), one patient died in the postoperative period of sepsis and pneumonia following resection of a middle ear recurrence (64 months), and one patient was lost to follow-up analysis. Meningiomas arising in or extending to the middle ear canal are unusual. They more commonly arise in woman and in most cases involve extension of intracranial/cranial tumors into the canal.