Case II: traumatic middle ear injury (R) - axial view

Case description

A 28-year-old female patient presented with a significant traumatic ear injury. At 18, she was urgently referred to our clinic due to bloody ear discharge post-temporomandibular joint arthroscopy. Initial examination revealed an anterior canal wall laceration and a traumatic tympanic membrane (TM) perforation. Audiometric tests indicated moderate conductive hearing loss, characterized by a \( 32.5 \, \text{dB} \) mean air-bone gap across \( 0.5 - 4 \, \text{kHz} \) frequencies. Despite the TM perforation healing, the conductive hearing loss remained. The patient declined surgical intervention but continues to be monitored by our clinic. Her ear's condition is unchanged since the initial injury. A recent examination of the healed TM revealed a nearly featureless structure, with the lateral process of the malleus (M) being the only distinguishable landmark under endoscopy.