Eosinophilic otitis media: CT and MRI findings and literature review

Korean J Radiol. 2012 May-Jun;13(3):363-7. doi: 10.3348/kjr.2012.13.3.363. Epub 2012 Apr 17.

Abstract

Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is a relatively rare, intractable, middle ear disease with extremely viscous mucoid effusion containing eosinophils. EOM is associated with adult bronchial asthma and nasal allergies. Conventional treatments for otitis media with effusion (OME) or for chronic otitis media (COM), like tympanoplasty or mastoidectomy, when performed for the treatment of EOM, can induce severe complications such as deafness. Therefore, it should be differentiated from the usual type of OME or COM. To our knowledge, the clinical and imaging findings of EOM of temporal bone are not well-known to radiologists. We report here the CT and MRI findings of two EOM cases and review the clinical and histopathologic findings of this recently described disease entity.

Keywords: Eosinophilic otitis media; Imaging findings of EOM.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Eosinophilia / diagnosis*
  • Eosinophilia / diagnostic imaging
  • Eosinophilia / surgery
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Otitis Media / diagnosis*
  • Otitis Media / diagnostic imaging
  • Otitis Media / surgery
  • Otoscopy
  • Reoperation
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*