# Tuberculosis Coalescent Mastoiditis: A Report of Two Rare Cases

## TL;DR

This paper reports two rare cases of tuberculosis causing severe mastoiditis, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis to prevent serious complications.

## Contribution

The paper presents two rare clinical cases of tuberculous coalescent mastoiditis with delayed diagnosis and severe outcomes.

## Key findings

- Patients showed no improvement with standard antibiotic treatments and developed temporal bone erosion.
- Both cases resulted in severe or profound hearing loss due to delayed diagnosis.
- Early suspicion and diagnosis of this condition are crucial to avoid irreversible complications.

## Abstract

Tuberculous otomastoiditis is a rare disease. Diagnosis generally occurs late when the patient already has irreversible sequelae. Two cases are reported with an unusual presentation of coalescent mastoiditis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patients underwent several antibiotic treatments without clinical improvement, evolving temporal bone erosion and severe/profound hearing loss. Maintaining a high degree of suspicion regarding this clinical entity is important to obtain an early diagnosis, contributing to better care for these patients and avoiding serious complications.