Spontaneous CSF otorrhea simulating serous otitis.

Unilateral congenital sensorineural deafness was observed in a 4-year-old boy. The patient had fluid in the left tympanic cavity, simulating serous otitis, which was caused by a spontaneous CSF leak from the oval window, around the edges of a normal stapedial footplate. Polytomography demonstrated an inner ear dysplasia, viz, dilation of the lateral semicircular canal, vestibule, and cochlea. The CSF leak was controlled by packing the vestibule with muscle and fascia. The literature related to this rare syndrome is reviewed.