Translate

Δευτέρα 17 Ιανουαρίου 2022

A Rare Cause of Secondary Otalgia

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Message:

PrivacyPrivacy
Skip to main content
Intended for healthcare professionals

SAGE Journals

Search search-icon
Browse
Resources

Access Options:
You are not signed in to your personal profile
Sign In
You are not signed in via an institution
Institution
You are not authenticated via a society
Society
Cart
Ear, Nose & Throat Journal
1.697 Impact Factor 5-Year Impact Factor 1.745
Journal Indexing & Metrics »
Journal Home
Browse Journal
Journal Info
Stay Connected
Submit Paper

Search
Article Menu
Download PDF [PDF]
Open EPUB
Full Article
Content List
Significance Statement
ORCID iDs
References
Figures & Tables
Article Metrics

Cite

Share

Request Permissions
Related Articles
A Rare Cause of Secondary Otalgia
Show all authors
Evropi Forozidou, MD, Nikolaos Tsetsos, MD, MSc, Paraskevi Karamitsou, MD, MSc, ...
First Published January 17, 2022 Research Article
https://doi.org/10.1177/01455613221075226
Article information
Open AccessCreative Commons Attribution, Non Commercial 4.0 License
Significance Statement
Secondary otalgia is defined as pain felt in the ear although originating from a non-otologic source. The complex innervation of ear structures makes the identification of the responsible region a challenging procedure. The 2 most common causes of secondary otalgia are the temporomandibular joint dysfunction and dental infections. We present a rare case of secondary otalgia caused by a foreign body hidden deeply in the lateral surface of the tongue.

A 61-year-old male ironworker presented to our emergency Ear, Nose and Throat department complaining about left otalgia accompanied by difficulty in swallowing. Symptoms had started 1 week before in his work environment. The patient was prescribed a 5-day course of antibiotics with ciprofloxacin ear drops combined with painkillers by his family doctor without, however, any signs of improvement. His past medical history was otherwise normal.

A thorough clinical examination combined with otomicroscopy was unremarkable for any ear pathology. Fiberoptic nasolaryngoscopy and laboratory tests were also normal. Inspection of the oral cavity showed no signs of inflammation; however, a tender area on the left lateral surface of the tongue was noted. After careful observation, a tiny hole was recognized in the same area (Figure 1). An exploration of the area under local anesthesia was conducted and a metallic iron bar of approximately 1.5 cm in length was removed (Figure 2). Symptoms were completely subsided and the patient remained pain free at 1-week follow-up.

figure

Figure 1. Oral cavity inspection. Recognition of the painful area on the left lateral surface of the tongue.


figure

Figure 2. The extracted foreign body. A metallic iron bar.

Otalgia is a rather common symptom seen in the primary care setting with many diverse causes. Primary otalgia is related to clinical entities affecting the outer, middle, and inner ear.1 Inflections such as acute or chronic media otitis, external otitis, folliculitis, mastoiditis, and myringitis constitute the most common etiologic factors. Cerumen obstruction, ear neoplasms, and trauma may also be responsible for primary otalgia. The origin of primary otalgia is almost always easy to be established with otomicroscopy or radiographic imaging.2

On the other hand, when the cause of pain cannot be localized to the affected ear, it is referred to as secondary otalgia. There is a considerable overlap between the innervation of the ear and the related areas in the head and neck. Innervation of the ear structures comprises multiple lower cranial, upper cervical, and peripheral nerves. They innervate the spine, skull base, salivary glands, pharynx, larynx, oral cavity, orbits, face, paranasal sinuses, and deep neck spaces. The most common causes of secondary otalgia are temporomandibular joint syndrome and dental infections. Additionally, other potential causes of otalgia are Bell's palsy, salivary gland disorders, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, oral disorders, and cervical osteoarthritis.2,3

Clinicians should be aware that otalgia could be the primary symptom of a head and neck malignancy. Therefore, a thorough clinical examination of the whole head and neck area is imperative to exclude neoplasms.3,4

Inflammation, trauma, and neoplasms of the tongue often cause secondary otalgia via the trigeminal (CN V) and the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX).

The third branch of the trigeminal, the mandibular nerve (V3), is a mixed nerve. The auriculotemporal nerve is a branch of the V3 that provides sensation to the anterosuperior pinna, anterior external auditory canal, and the anterior lateral aspect of the tympanic membrane. Other branches include the lingual, buccal, and inferior alveolar nerves that provide sensory innervation to the oral cavity, the floor of the mouth, and the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.5

The glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) directly innervates the inner surface of the tympanic membrane as well as the middle ear cavity through sensory fibers of the tympanic nerve (Jacobson nerve). It also provides mixed innervation to the posterior third of the tongue.6 Secondary otalgia may be caused from anywhere along the course of this nerve. In cases that thorough clinical investigation fails to establish the source of otalgia, a computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging studies should be considered to define the diagnosis.5

Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs
Nikolaos Tsetsos https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1884-6824

Konstantinos Garefis https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3905-5650

Alexandros Poutoglidis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4591-8347

References
1. Neilan, RE, Roland, PS. Otalgia. Med Clin North Am. 2010;94:96171.
Google Scholar | Crossref
2. Norris, CD, Koontz, NA. Secondary Otalgia: Referred Pain Pathways and Pathologies. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2020;41(12):2188-2198.
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline
3. Earwood, JS, Rogers, TS, Rathjen, NA. Ear pain: diagnosing common and uncommon causes. Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(1):20-27.
Google Scholar | Medline
4. Charlett, SD, Coatesworth, AP. Referred otalgia: a structured approach to diagnosis and treatment. Am J Med Sci Med. 2017;5(3):56-61.
Google Scholar
5. Scarbrough, TJ, Day, TA, Williams, TE, et al. Referred otalgia in head and neck cancer: a unifying schema. Am J Clin Oncol. 2003;26:e157-e162.
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline
6. Naraev, BG, Linthicum, FH. Traumatic neuroma of the tympanic (Jacobson's) nerve as a possible cause of otalgia. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;138:735-737.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals
View Abstract
SAGE Recommends
Also from SAGE Publishing
CQ LibraryAmerican political resourcesopens in new tab
Data PlanetA universe of dataopens in new tab
Lean LibraryIncrease the visibility of your libraryopens in new tab
SAGE Business CasesReal-world cases at your fingertipsopens in new tab
SAGE CampusOnline skills and methods coursesopens in new tab
SAGE KnowledgeThe ultimate social science libraryopens in new tab
SAGE Research MethodsThe ultimate methods libraryopens in new tab
SAGE VideoStreaming video collectionsopens in new tab
SAGE Journals
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Contact Us
Help
Accessibility

Browse
Health Sciences
Life Sciences
Materials Science & Engineering
Social Sciences & Humanities
Journals A-Z
Discipline Hubs

Resources
Authors
Editors
Reviewers
Librarians
Researchers
Societies

Opportunities
Advertising
Reprints
Content Sponsorships
Permissions
Microsites

Ear, Nose & Throat Journal
ISSN: 0145-5613
Online ISSN: 1942-7522
Copyright © 2022 by SAGE Publications

pubmed-meta-image.png

Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Jan 17:1455613221075226. doi: 10.1177/01455613221075226. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:35037504 | DOI:10.1177/01455613221075226

View on the web

Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:

Δημοσίευση σχολίου

Αρχειοθήκη ιστολογίου

Translate