A Case of Chronic Mastoid Infestation by a Rare Parasite: (Poikilorchis Congolensis)

Abstract

The authors describe a case of a retroauricular cyst due to Poikilorchis congolensis This is the seventh case in the world literature. After recalling the different theories which attempt to explain the mechanism of the lesion, they advance the proposition that the clinical, otological and radiological picture, and the findings during the operation, make it almost certain that the migration of the parasite has been through the Eustachian tube and the middle ear. If one considers that all seven cases show the same localisation, one must conclude that this is not a coincidence and that this localisation is the usual one even if the infestation in man as such may be accidental.