[Otalgia and impairment of hearing in the diagnosis of inflammatory and tumorous diseases of the pharynx and larynx].

Otalgia and/or impairment of hearing is one of the earliest, if not the first, symptom of certain pharyngeal and laryngeal disorders. Underestimation of these conditions or incorrect interpretation of their origin frequently lead to erroneous diagnosis and the wrong choice of treatment strategy. A total of 1074 patients with pharyngeal and laryngeal problems were available for examination that revealed pathologies in which otalgia and/or impairment of hearing is the first or an earlier symptom of the disease. Otalgia proved to be an early manifestation of serious inflammatory diseases affecting the middle part of the pharynx or of metastasis of malignant pharyngeal and laryngeal tumours into deep cervical lymph nodes. Juvenile angiofibroma, hemangiouma, malignant nasopharyngeal tumour are known to disturb functional automatism of pharyngeal openings of Eustachian tubes and cause impairment of hearing long before clinical manifestations of neoplastic growth. Results of diagnostic studies are usually interpreted as middle ear pathology (tubootitis, exudative otitis, middle ear inflammation). Correct diagnosis is possible within 1-12 months (or more) after the appearance of the first symptoms. An error is possible to avoid by thorough examination of the pharynx using endoscopic optics. Target biopsy is indicated as soon as neoplastic microlesions are identified excepting cases of branched arterial-type hemangiomas.