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Otalgia. An isolated symptom of malignant infratemporal tumors
J P Leonetti1, J Li, P G Smith
1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Loyola, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA.
Objective:
This study aimed to review a series of 18 patients with malignant infratemporal fossa tumors who presented with otalgia as the primary symptom.
Study Design:
This was a retrospective case analysis.
Setting:
All patients were evaluated and treated at a tertiary care academic medical institution.
Patients:
Eighteen patients evaluated for otalgia in a normal-appearing ear, between July 1988 and July 1996, who were found to have a malignant infratemporal fossa tumor participated.
Interventions:
Diagnostic testing included radiographic evaluations and tissue sampling through fine-needle aspiration cytology. Treatment methods were histology dependent.
Main Outcome Measures:
The time between the onset of otalgia and the tumor diagnosis was recorded. Overall treatment outcomes were reviewed.
Results:
The period between the onset of otalgia and tumor diagnosis ranged from 4-21 months with a mean of 7.5 months. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most commonly seen tumor in this series of patients.
Conclusions:
The infratemporal fossa is a relatively protected region that may be the site of malignant neoplasms causing the isolated symptom of otalgia.