OBJECTIVE

To describe an extensive pseudotumor as a complication of stapes surgery.

METHODS

Radiological workup and surgical exploration in a 38-year-old man suffering from postoperative hearing loss. The patient presented with tinnitus, inferior facial palsy, vertigo, and rapidly progressive hearing loss after his operation.

RESULTS

The initial postoperative CT scan was normal. However, seven months after surgery, the CT scan showed an enlargement of the inner ear canal and complete vestibular destruction. The CISS sequence of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced after gadolinium injection revealed the presence of a mass filling the entire inner ear canal, the cochlear, the posterior labyrinth, and the middle ear. The aspect suggested an inflammatory pseudotumor. Surgical exploration confirmed the invasive aspect of the mass and pathological analysis revealed inflammatory tissue associated with microcalcifications.

CONCLUSIONS

Hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus after stapes surgery require a radiologic workup. The CT scan is done first. It could be normal or eliminate other diagnoses. MRI may lead to a more precise diagnosis. It can reveal an inflammatory process of the inner ear after gadolinium injection. Surgical exploration is indicated in case of aggressive and extensive lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of hearing loss complicating otosclerosis surgery, an imaging workup should include a CT scan. In case of a suspected expansive and inflammatory mass, it should be completed by an MRI (CISS sequence and gadolinium injection). An inflammatory lesion of the inner ear could indicate extensive pseudotumor.