Ear Osteoma Surgery Leads to Facial Paralysis

Case Overview

This case involves a sixty-eight-year-old male who had an osteoma in his external auditory canal for several years. It did not compromise his hearing when diagnosed, but he eventually lost all hearing ability in the afflicted ear due to a maximum conductive hearing obstruction. The patient underwent a procedure to resect the mass and was noted to have facial paralysis in the immediate, postoperative period. The medical records acknowledge the nerve paralysis but contributed it to postoperative swelling. After the postoperative swelling subsided, the patient still experienced paralysis and had severe problems with vertigo, and has had to have numerous canalith re-positioning procedures. The plaintiff retained an expert witness in audiology and otolaryngology for this case.