[Persistent otorrhea revealing a foreign body of the middle ear]

Objectives: To report a rare clinical case of chronic otitis media due to an unknown foreign body in the middle ear and a literature review.

Patient and methods: A 14-year-old girl who had persistent otorrhea associated with hearing loss for two years. The clinical and CT scan exploration found an unknown foreign body in the middle ear. Extraction was performed by retroauricular surgery, complemented by myringoplasty.

Results: After two months of follow-up, the patient was free of symptoms. Otoscopy discovered an intact neotympanum. The follow-up audiogram was normal.

Conclusions: Penetrating foreign bodies in the middle ear are infrequently encountered in practice in ear, nose, and throat pediatric emergencies. They may go unnoticed and be revealed by locoregional complications later, hence the importance of suggesting this diagnosis.