OBJECTIVES: To discuss a rare case of temporal bone capillary hemangioma and its diagnosis and management.
METHODS:
Design: Case Report
Setting: Tertiary Government Hospital
Patient: One
RESULTS: A 44-year-old woman with a history of on-and-off right ear discharge, tinnitus and decreased hearing, and a pinkish, smooth-surfaced, non-friable, non-pulsating mass occluding the right external auditory canal, was initially treated for chronic suppurative otitis media with aural polyp. A punch biopsy due to persistence of disease despite medical treatment revealed capillary hemangioma. She underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy with obliteration to completely resect the tumor.
CONCLUSION: Capillary hemangiomas of the temporal bone are benign lesions that may lead to complications such as bone erosion, hearing loss, recurrent infection and bleeding if left untreated. Surgery remains the ideal treatment and recurrence is rare and the prognosis is good if resection is complete.