Content area
Full text
Received Dec 6, 2017; Accepted Jan 9, 2018
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1. Introduction
Ganglion cyst is expansile, synovial fluid-filled lesion of joints, most commonly seen in the wrists, knees, and feet. Reports of these cystic lesions arising from the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are scarce. When they occur, they are most commonly found in the preauricular region, with the most common presenting clinical features being pain and swelling [1]. Conventionally, pain, limitation of movement, and local pressure symptoms are indications for surgery [2]. Due to the direct visibility of the preauricular region, aesthetics plays a part for opting toward surgical management even in the asymptomatic patient. In contrast, TMJ ganglion presenting as a lesion in the external auditory canal (EAC) is not usually visible, and therefore asymptomatic patients may not require treatment.
2. Case
A 59-year-old female was referred to a tertiary otorhinolaryngology unit for multiple reasons. Of these, the predominant troubling symptom was bilateral blocked ears, the right being worse than the left. This was associated with intermittent sharp retroauricular pain, a history of chronic tinnitus, and chronic headaches. She denied history of otalgia, otorrhoea, vertigo, hearing loss, TMJ pain, and discomfort even in the setting of mastication.
On examination, there was absence of TMJ crepitus. The cranial nerves were intact, and in particular there was no facial nerve weakness or facial paraesthesia....