ENT specialists in Graz have now described a very unusual and unique case. A live ant that crawled into the patient’s middle ear through a hole in the eardrum was responsible for the sudden onset of tinnitus and foreign body sensation in the ear of a 42-year-old woman.
“This report describes the unusual case of a live ant that entered the middle ear cavity through an existing perforation in the eardrum of a 42-year-old patient. She presented to the outpatient clinic with symptoms such as sudden onset of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and a foreign body sensation in the left ear,” write Peter Kiss from the ENT University Clinic of MedUni Graz and his co-authors in the specialist journal “ Diagnostics.”
The case turned out to be quite complicated. Examination with an ear microscope initially showed an oval hole in the eardrum of the left ear. Behind it, however, the ENT doctors saw a “dark foreign body” that was also moving. The case authors report: “The object was identified as a live ant.” The insect had apparently crawled through the external auditory canal and the perforation in the middle ear.
Insect was surgically removed
“Initial attempts to remove the insect under local anesthesia were unsuccessful, forcing the patient to undergo surgery,” the doctors said. An endoscopic procedure was performed under general anesthesia “and the ant was removed successfully without complications.” The patient was able to leave the hospital the next day. The healing proceeded without complications. The hearing problems were eliminated when the insect was removed.
“This case highlights the rare but possible occurrence of living foreign bodies entering the middle ear through tympanic membrane perforations and the need for timely surgical intervention to prevent complications,” the experts said. Foreign bodies in the external auditory canal are relatively common, but rare in the middle ear.
The Graz case is quite unique
The ENT doctors also looked at the international scientific literature. There they found cases of fly larvae that had ended up in the middle ear of those affected. According to international figures, foreign objects in the external auditory canal are insects in ten to fifty percent of cases.
“Unique clinical scenario”
But the event in Graz is quite unique. “Our specific case of a live ant entering the middle ear through a pre-existing tympanic membrane perforation represents a unique clinical scenario,” the doctors said.
Source: Krone
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