Facial Nerve Paralysis in a 54-Year-Old Woman with Exacerbated Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media and Chronic Mastoiditis: A Case Report

We present the case of a 54-year old woman diagnosed with chronic suppurative otitis media, who was admitted to the ENT Department with four-week-old, sudden-onset, left-sided facial nerve paralysis, and ipsilateral otalgia and hemicrania. Physical examination revealed positive signs of acute postaural inflammation. The patient’s facial nerve paralysis was scored as VI, according to the House-Brackmann scale. A cranio-facial computer tomography examination revealed mastoid cavity opacification, mucosal hypertrophy, and signs of chronic osteitis, with minimal mucous accumulation. The patient underwent a radical modified mastoidectomy with type-I tympanoplasty to verify the presence of a cholesteatoma, and to remove the offending lesions. Post-operatively, patient evolution was favorable, and prognosis remained encouraging. The patient’s evolution will be followed by check-ups every three months to assess progress and benefits of the treatment.