Bilateral peripheral facial palsy and mastoid infiltration as symptoms of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia

P Leite da Silveira; V Gonçalves Silva; J Rizzato Paschoal; L Nizam Pfeilsticker

doi:10.1016/j.anorl.2013.09.003

Bilateral peripheral facial palsy and mastoid infiltration as symptoms of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia

Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2015 Feb;132(1):41-3. doi: 10.1016/j.anorl.2013.09.003. Epub 2014 Apr 1.

Authors

P Leite da Silveira¹, V Gonçalves Silva², J Rizzato Paschoal², L Nizam Pfeilsticker²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp, State University at Campinas), School of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6111, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: silveirapriscila@hotmail.com.
² Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp, State University at Campinas), School of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6111, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

PMID: 24703003
DOI: 10.1016/j.anorl.2013.09.003

Abstract

Background: Although Bell's palsy (BP) is the most common cause of peripheral facial palsy (PFP), other etiologies merit investigation.

Case report: A 60-year-old female patient presented with recurrent bilateral PFP. Although the patient had a history of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), she had initially been diagnosed with BP-related PFP and had been treated accordingly. When the PFP recurred, additional diagnostic tests were performed. The resulting immunohistochemical profile included CD3 positivity in a few reactive T lymphocytes; positivity for myeloperoxidase in atypical cells; and focal positivity for CD34 and proto-oncogene c-kit proteins in neoplastic cells, thus confirming the suspicion of mastoid infiltration caused by relapsed AML.

Conclusion: In patients with neoplastic disease, a finding of PFP calls for extensive investigation in order to rule out the involvement of the temporal bone.

Keywords: Acute; Facial paralysis; Leukemia; Mastoiditis; Myeloid.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Facial Paralysis / etiology*
Facial Paralysis / pathology
Female
Humans
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / complications*
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / diagnosis
Leukemic Infiltration / etiology*
Mastoid / pathology*
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / complications*
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / diagnosis
Proto-Oncogene Mas