A Case of Lipoma Arising in the Eustachian Tube

Abstract

We report a case of a lipoma inside the eustachian tube, an extremely rare location for this lesion. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second such case that has been described in the literature. The patient was a 47-year-old man, a fighter pilot, who was referred to our hospital with a 3-year history of (1) fullness in the right ear secondary to recurrent serous otitis media and (2) right ear pain, which was especially acute during fights. Nasopharyngeal endoscopy, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging detected the presence of a well-encapsulated lesion inside the eustachian tube; macroscopic and radiologic findings identified the mass as a lipoma. The lesion was completely removed via transnasal endoscopy. Histopathologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of lipoma. The patient's postoperative course was favorable, and he was able to fly again without any ear complaints. Radiologic examination is useful for the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of this benign tumor. Lesions located in the lower part of the eustachian tube can be easily removed via a transnasal endoscopic approach.