A Rare Case of Bifurcated Chorda Tympani

Preservation of the chorda tympani is important in middle ear surgery to prevent dysgeusia postoperatively. However, determining the exact course of the chorda tympani before surgery is not always possible, especially in cases with accompanying malformations. In this report, we presented an extremely rare case of bifurcation of the chorda tympani in a 15-year-old male patient. We performed tympanoplasty for a middle ear malformation with conductive hearing loss. During the operation, we noticed and carefully preserved the bifurcated chorda tympani. The patient did not develop dysgeusia postoperatively. Appropriate handling and understanding of the anomalous chorda tympani preserved the patient's sense of taste and hence quality of life.