Eosinophilic granuloma of the temporal bone: radiological approach in the pediatric patient

Eosinophilic granuloma is one of the three clinical variants of Histiocytosis-X (eosinophilic granuloma, Hand-Schüller-Christian and Letterer-Siwe disease). Involvement of the temporal bone is relatively rare and initially silent. However, it can erode the mastoid cortex, destroy the tegmen and extend into the cranial vault, as well as erode the semicircular canals or cochlea. It usually presents as an aural polyp or postauricular swelling. Chronic otorrhea is what brings the patient to the ORL-Clinic. It is frequently confused with infectious diseases or neoplastic conditions of the temporal bone. In this paper we report 6 cases of eosinophilic granuloma in the temporal bone, discuss the plain radiological and CT findings and review the literature.