Asymptomatic and Incidental Middle Ear Foreign Body: A Case Report and Literature Review

We report a rare incident of an asymptomatic foreign body discovered in the middle ear of a 14-year-old female, initially presenting for a different otological complaint. The discovery was made incidentally during routine examination, with further confirmation by HRCT and subsequent successful surgical removal. A brief review of the literature reveals that such asymptomatic cases are uncommon, as most reported instances of middle ear foreign bodies are symptomatic, presenting with a range of otological symptoms and usually necessitating removal to avert further complications. This case underlines the critical importance of comprehensive ear examinations in otological evaluations to identify and mitigate potential complications associated with unnoticed foreign bodies in the middle ear, thus contributing valuable insights to the scant body of literature on the management of asymptomatic middle ear foreign bodies.