A 53-Year-Old Woman with Ear Pain and Facial Weakness

AbstractMorning Report is a time-honored tradition in which physicians-in-training present cases to their colleagues and clinical experts to collaboratively examine an interesting patient presentation. The Morning Report section seeks to carry on this tradition by presenting a patient's chief concern and story, inviting the reader to develop a differential diagnosis and discover the diagnosis alongside the authors of the case. This report examines the story of a 53-year-old woman who sought evaluation for pain in both ears, hearing loss, and facial weakness. Using questions, physical examination, and testing, an illness script for the presentation emerges. As the clinical course progresses, the differential is refined until a diagnosis is made.