Congenital dermoid cyst of the middle ear.

Dermoid cysts of the head and neck are rare lesions comprised of epidermal and mesodermal elements. We report a dermoid cyst presenting in the middle ear of the youngest patient reported to date. Structures of endodermal descent were also identified, but, given that the entire middle ear mucosa is of endodermal origin, specific classification as a teratoma would be imprecise.

Immune-mediated inner ear disease: 10-year experience.

Background: Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) was first described in 1979 and the disease has become more widely recognized over the last decade. Limited information is available regarding clinical features of the disease, disease course, and response to treatment.

Objective: To analyze data from 42 patients with documented immune mediated inner ear disease to further define this syndrome.

Tinnitus. Diagnosis and treatment of this elusive symptom.

More than 37 million Americans experience tinnitus, and adults age 40 to 70 are most often affected. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, and as such has many different causes. Tinnitus is classified as vibratory and nonvibratory and is further subdivided into objective and subjective categories.

An animal model for external ear canal inflammation.

Objective: To develop an animal model for testing efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs designed to treat external ear canal (EAC) disease.

Methods: Histological and morphometric methods were used to characterize EAC inflammation produced by topical application of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) in mice. The effects of both single and repeated TPA applications were studied.

Open-cavity tympanomastoidectomy.

A large number of considerations determine whether an open-cavity or closed-cavity technique is most appropriate for an individual patient. These considerations in the selection of technique, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both open-cavity and closed-cavity tympanomastoidectomy are reviewed in this article. Emphasis is placed on the technical details required to produce a problem free and functional open-cavity tympanomastoidectomy.