Glomus of the tympanic membrane: atypical growth

Paragangliomas, or glomus tumors (GT), are slow growing vascular lesions that develop in different anatomical regions; their behavior and differential diagnosis depends on their location. The tympanic glomus (TG) is usually confined to the middle ear (ME) and does not produce bone erosion, while the jugular glomus (JG) can spread to other regions, reaching the ME after destroying the bone beneath the promontory. We present the case of a GT that probably originated in the tympanic membrane (as suggested by the absence of damage to the jugular adventitia) presenting an atypical growth, occupying the region of the tympanic membrane and the jugular foramen, but not causing bone destruction. We have found no report of this type of behavior in a review of the literature. We performed a differential diagnosis involving masses of the ME and jugular foramen. (Author) 11 refs