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Familial lateral semicircular canal malformation with external and middle ear abnormalities
Author(s) -
Matsunaga Tatsuo,
Hirota Eiko
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.064
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1552-4833
pISSN - 1552-4825
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.a.10866
Subject(s) - middle ear , medicine , anatomy , inner ear , conductive hearing loss , semicircular canal , auricle , hearing loss , vestibular system , microtia , ear canal , audiology , outer ear , radiology
We report a family with inner ear lateral semicircular canal (LSC) malformation and external and middle ear abnormalities. The family had no history of known syndromes or toxic exposures. Distinct phenotypic manifestations were found in three family members. A young girl exhibited bilateral LSC malformation with a right‐sided preauricular tag, a mildly deformed auricle, a stenotic external auditory canal, and a constricted middle ear cavity. She had moderate conductive hearing loss in the right ear but normal hearing in the left ear. Her younger brother exhibited right‐sided LSC malformation, microtia, external auditory canal atresia, a malformed middle ear cavity, and abnormal auditory ossicles. He had severe mixed hearing loss in his right ear. Their mother exhibited left‐sided LSC malformation without external and middle ear abnormalities, and the hearing was normal in her left ear. None of the three cases had vestibular symptoms, and their results of balance tests were appropriate for the corresponding ages. In contrast, significantly decreased LSC function was revealed by caloric tests in an ear with LSC malformation. Previously, LSC malformation may have been underdiagnosed in patients presenting with external and middle ear abnormalities and their relatives, since this malformation is frequently associated with normal hearing and balance or conductive hearing loss only. To our knowledge, this condition has not been described previously. This condition supports a genetic basis for the combination of LSC malformation and external and middle ear abnormalities and may represent an autosomal dominant condition with variable expressivity. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.