[Clinical morphological features of middle ear chemodectomas]

Eight cases of glomus tumor (chemodectoma) are reported. All the patients were women aged 46-55 years with complaints of noise in the ears, diminished hearing, pains on the side of the tumor. Some of the patients had ear discharge. Neurinoma, ear polyp, hemangioma and ceruminoma were rejected at differential diagnosis. All the patients were treated surgically. One patient was reoperated 12 years later. Operative biopsies of the tumor tissue were studied histologically and histochemically using hematoxiline-eosine and picrofuxine staining, Gordon and Sweet impregnation, PAS-reaction for detection of neutral mucopolysaccharides, Sternberger PAP technique for identification of biogenic amines and peptide hormones. In most cases the tumor had angiomatous structure with marked stromal fibrosis. An alveolar (glandular) variant occurred less frequently. Serotonin granules detected at immunoperoxidase test appeared to be aspecific marker of glomus tumor cells.