Tympanic Paragangliomas : case reports Summary

1 Resident Physician, Hospital Paulista de Otorrinolaringologia. 2 Ph.D., Professor, UNIFESP-EPM. 3 Post-graduate studies under course, Discipline of Otorhinolaryngology, Escola Paulista de Medicina. 4 Otorhinolaryngologist. Study conducted at Hospital Paulista de Otorrinolaringologia. Address correspondence to: Doutor José Ricardo Gurgel Testa – Rua Doutor Diogo de Faria 780 Sao Paulo SP 04037-002. Fax (55 11) 50878700 – E-mail: hosppaulista@hospitalpaulista. com. br Study presented at Congresso Brasileiro de Otorrinolaringologia, in Florianópolis, in 2002. Article submited on March 05, 2003. Article accepted on April 25, 2004. Glomus tumors, also called paragangliomas, originate from nonchromaffin cells. The tumor is typically vascular and grows from capillary and pre-capillary vessels in-between epithelial cells. It is worth mentioning that the most common symptoms are pulsating tinnitus and hearing loss. Imaging studies (CT and MRI) are necessary for diagnosis. This paper shows five patients seen at the Hospital between 1995 and 2001 presenting glomus tympanicum. Women were most commonly affected, and the age ranged from 48 to 60 years (mean age of 50 years). The most common complaints were pulsating tinnitus and hearing loss. All patients were treated surgically. Rev Bras Otorrinolaringol. V.71, n.1, 97-100, jan./feb. 2005