Neuroendocrine adenoma of the middle ear confused with congenital cholesteatoma.

Neuroendocrine adenomas of the middle ear (NEAME) are rare tumors.1-4 Whereas neuroendocrine cells are normally found in the lung and gastrointestinal tract, they are normally not found in the middle ear (ME) mucosa.1-6 Although neuroendocrine tumors were initially believed to originate from the neuroendocrine cell system, it is now known that they may originate from tissue that lacks neuroendocrine cells, such as the ME mucosa, because these tumors are derived from pluripotent stem cells that are capable of neuroendocrine differentiation.1,5