Multiple Myeloma: Report of a Case Manifested as Facial Nerve Palsy

Multiple myeloma is a clonal B-cell tumor of slowly proliferating plasma cells within the bone marrow. It is a relatively well known disease, but temporal bone involvements have rarely been reported. It is not easy to diagnose multiple myeloma of the temporal bone in the early stage, since it presents with general, nonspecific otologic symptoms and pathologic confirma tion in the temporal bone is difficult. Multiple myeloma involving the temporal bone area is considered to be in its terminal stage, but the treatment strategy is the same as that for conventional multiple myeloma involving other organs. We experienced a case of facial palsy had suddenly developed and was later diagnosed with multiple myeloma after a pathologic review and systemic evaluation. Herein we report this rare case with a review of literature. � Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2011;54:73-6 Key WordsZZMultiple myeloma ㆍFacial paralysis ㆍTemporal bone.