A Case of Acute Mastoiditis and a Perilymph Fistula with Fracture of the Stapes Following Blowing the Nose

Stapes fractures are usually seen in association with tympanic membrane rupture as a result of direct injury or with major skull trauma. However, barotrauma such as blowing the nose is a rare cause of stapes fractures. Furthermore, fracture of the posterior crus is extremely rare. To our knowledge, the combination of a perilymph fistula and acute mastoiditis has not been previously reported.. We experienced a rare case in which blowing the nose led to otitis media, acute mastoiditis and a perilymph fistula, with fracture of the posterior crus of the stapes. The details of this case are presented together with the review of the literature and some discussion. Case Report