Tinnitus as the initial symptom of temporal bone plasmacytoma

Abstract

Skull-base tumors are unusual, Plasmacytoma arises from plasma cells and could be the precursor of multiple myeloma. There are 2 types of plasmacytoma: solitary bone and extramedullary. Temporal bone plasmacytoma is even more infrequent. Tinnitus could be the initial symptom of this unusual tumors. We present the case of a 74-year-old female patient, who started with right tinnitus as well as right hearing loss. Accompanied by cervical pain and limitation of cervical flexion and instability. As the only data on right otoscopy, there was an hypervascular promontory. Imaging studies were performed reporting tumor with bone erosion of both petrous portions of temporal bone, sphenoid, and cervical spine. A transsphenoidal biopsy was performed, reporting positive CD 138 plasmacytoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were indicated. Unilateral tinnitus should be fully studied because it might be a symptom of unusual diagnoses such as skull base neoplasms.