[The tuberculosis of the ear: a report of two cases]

The tuberculosis of the ear is rare. In most cases, the clinical picture resembles that of a chronic otitis media. The bacteriological exams are seldom positive at the earliest stage of the disease. The two reported cases of this paper illustrate the difficulties of the diagnosis. In the first one, the diagnosis was made although the bacteriological proof could not be obtained, based on other exams. In the second one, it was made on the basis of a positive PCR of the tissues removed during a radical mastoidectomy. The literature on the various clinical aspects of the tuberculosis of the ear is reviewed.