Intraoperative view of a glomus tympanicum

A 50-year-old woman presented with a 5-month history of right-sided pulsatile tinnitus without any hearing loss. The tinnitus was synchronous with her heartbeat. Otoscopic examination of her right ear detected a red mass behind the posteroinferior quadrant of the tympanic membrane near the umbo of the malleus (figure 1). The mass was pulsatile when carefully observed with an aural endoscope.