J Korean Pain Soc.
2004 Dec;17(2):252-254. 10.3344/jkps.2004.17.2.252.
The Treatment of Referred Otalgia in a Laryngeal Cancer Patient: A case report
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea. pain@medimail.co.kr
- KMID: 2104865
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/jkps.2004.17.2.252
Abstract
- Otalgia is a sensation of pain in the ear, while referred otalgia is pain felt in the ear, but which originates from a nonotologic source. Ear pain is a diagnostic problem when there is no pathology under examination for the ear. Also, it is very important to find the primary site provoking the ear pain. Nonotogenic otalgia may be due to referred otalgia, reflex pain and neuralgia, or to a psychogenic problem. Otalgia may be also be referred from a primary carcinoma of the head, neck and fifth, ninth or tenth cranial nerves when the spinal nerves C2 and C3 are involved. For the otalgia in a patient with laryngeal cancer and cervical metastasis he was referred from the otorhinolaryngology department. On physical examination, he had no problem around his ear. For his pain relief, cervical epidural block and opioid medication were planned. As a result, his otalgia dramatically improved.
