Cavernous haemangioma of the external auditory canal: clinical case and review of the literature

Although benign vascular lesions are frequent in the head and the neck region, clinical evidence of cavernous haemangioma of the externalauditory canal is extremely rare; when present, the lesion invades the middle ear space. Herein, a rare case of a soft mass filling theexternal auditory canal, not involving the tympanic membrane, in a symptomatic 59-year-old male is described. Clinical and audiologicalcharacteristics, imaging studies and surgical treatment with histological evaluation are reported, which led to a diagnosis of a cavernoushaemangioma. This is only the seventh case described in the literature, to date, not involving the tympanic membrane and the middle earspace. In addition, a review has been made of the relevant literature with respect to epidemiology, presentation, evaluation, pathology, andmanagement options for haemangiomas arising in the external auditory canal.