Diagnosis: Osteoma of the malleus
Osteomas are benign neoplasms of bone that occur at various sites throughout the body, including the temporal bone. Osteomas of the bony surfaces of the middle ear are a rare finding and can develop at any age. They have been observed to arise from various locations within the middle ear cavity. The promontory is the most regularly affected site, with lesions originating from the ossicles being the most infrequent.1 To our knowledge, only 3 previous cases of these lesions arising specifically from the malleus have been reported.2-4 Osteomas arising in the middle ear are usually solitary in nature, but multiple lesions have been documented.5 Also, lesions have been seen in association with congenital cholesteotoma.6