Middle ear adenomatous neuroendocrine tumors (MEANT) are rare neoplasms frequently misdiagnosed due to their nonspecific clinical presentations. We present the case of a 25-year-old woman who reported a 2-month history of tinnitus, dizziness, and left-sided conductive hearing loss....
Clinicians evaluating unexplained middle ear masses should include MEANT in the differential diagnosis; definitive diagnosis requires histopathology with neuroendocrine markers, and this case adds to a limited literature—no practice change is warranted beyond diagnostic vigilance.
MEANT is frequently misdiagnosed due to its nonspecific presentation; increased awareness among otologists and audiologists may shorten the diagnostic odyssey and prevent unnecessary or incorrect interventions.
- 01Middle ear adenomatous neuroendocrine tumors (MEANTs) are rare and commonly misdiagnosed.
- 02Clinical presentation is nonspecific, often mimicking more common middle ear conditions.
- 03Histopathology with neuroendocrine marker immunostaining is required for definitive diagnosis.
- 04Case reports like this expand awareness of the differential diagnosis for middle ear masses.
- 05Published in The Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology.
MEANT is frequently misdiagnosed due to its nonspecific clinical presentation.
studysupportedHistopathologic analysis with neuroendocrine immunohistochemical markers is necessary for definitive MEANT diagnosis.
studysupported- PMID
- 42283703
- DOI
- 10.1177/01455613261462251.
- Journal
- Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
- Publication type
- case_report
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Patient(s) with a rare middle ear adenomatous neuroendocrine tumor
- Intervention
- Clinical and histopathologic evaluation of middle ear neuroendocrine tumor
Primary outcomes
Characterisation of clinical presentation and diagnostic features of MEANT; Histopathologic and immunohistochemical profile