[Blue tympanic membrane. Apropos of 3 cases]

A CT scan allowed simple diagnosis of the affection in three patients with the blue tympanic membrane syndrome. Lesions included prolapse of the internal jugular vein sinus into the tympanic cavity, an aberrant trajectory of the internal carotid artery in the middle ear and a tympano-jugular glomus tumor. Angiographic investigation of the latter lesion was performed more as a pre-treatment procedure rather than for diagnostic purposes, since it served as a guide to surgery, consisting usually of embolization.