Middle ear adenoma with neuroendocrine differentiation: relate of two cases and literature review.

Introduction:  Adenomas with neuroendocrine differentiation are defined as neuroendocrine neoplasms, and they are rarely found in the head and neck.

Objective:  To describe two cases of a middle ear adenoma with neuroendocrine differentiation, with a literature review.

Case Report:  Patient 1 was a 41-year-old woman who presented with a 3-year history of left aural fullness associated with ipsilateral "hammer beating" tinnitus. Patient 2 was a 41-year-old male who presented with unilateral conductive hearing loss.

Conclusion:  Adenoma with neuroendocrine differentiation of the middle ear is a rare entity, but it should be considered in patients with tinnitus, aural fullness, and a retrotympanic mass and remembered as a diferential diagnosis of tympanic paraganglioma.