Abstract

Tuberculosis is a rare cause of otitis media. Tuberculosis otitis media composes less than 1% of all cases of serous otitis media and thus often is not considered in the differential diagnosis of otitis media. Absence of characteristic symptoms of tuberculous otitis media causes difficulties and delays in the diagnosis of this disease. Among the most common symptoms the following may be mentioned: impaired hearing, discharge from the ear, thickening of the tympanic membrane, tympanic membrane perforation and granulation tissue, coming out from mucosa of the middle ear . Way of contamination of the middle ear by Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be external auditory canal with tympanic membrane perforation or Eustachian tube, as shown below in the case of the patient with clinical tuberculous otitis media, hospitalized to the Department of Otolaryngology with chronic otitis media to surgery because of hearing loss.

Adres: prof. dr hab. med. Jerzy Kuczkowski
Katedra i Klinika Otolaryngologii GUMed.
ul. Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdańsk,
tel. (58)3493393
e-mail: jerzyk@gumed.edu.pl