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Updated: May 13, 2026
Surgical Treatment of an Endolymphatic Sac Tumor
Published on: May 26, 2023
Endolymphatic sac tumour: case report and literature review
J S Virk1, P S Randhawa, S R Saeed
1Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK. j_v1rk@hotmail.com
Objective:
To increase awareness of the presentation, diagnostic difficulties and management of endolymphatic sac tumours.
Case Reports:
A 79-year-old man with a 6-month history of unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo, who was suspected to have an endolymphatic sac tumour on imaging, underwent successful transmastoid-translabyrinthine resection. A 53-year-old man with unilateral hearing loss and pulsatile tinnitus underwent subtotal resection of a suspected paraganglioma, which was identified histologically. Due to interval growth, gamma knife radiosurgery was performed followed by subtotal petrosectomy, at which juncture an endolymphatic sac tumour was reported.
Methods:
A review of the world literature was carried out using Medline, which identified less than 150 reported cases of endolymphatic sac tumour.
Conclusion:
Endolymphatic sac tumours are rare lesions of the petrous temporal bone. Although benign, they can be locally destructive. At present, there is no consensus regarding the management and long-term follow up of these tumours. Surgical resection is usually favoured, although treatment with radiotherapy and gamma knife surgery has also been reported.
