Abstract
An aberrant internal carotid artery (ICA) in the middle ear is a rare vascular anomaly causing objective tinnitus. The aberrant ICA (AICA) can mimic glomus tympanicum, dehiscent of jugular bulb, hemangioma, or cholesterol granuloma. The patient can exhibit nonspecific symptoms such as tinnitus, decrease hearing, and/or ear fullness. It is frequently diagnosed during surgery or biopsy, which may lead to massive bleeding. In this report, we present a 13-year-old girl referred from a primary health clinic with right retrotympanic mass in a routine examination. In her case, there is a history of tinnitus which increases with playing. The examination showed retrotympanic pulsatile red mass. The pure tone average discovered a mild conductive hearing loss on the same side. In addition, the images show a picture of an AICA. In this report, we also review the literature on this vascular anomaly, which may lead to serious complication if manipulated during surgery or other outpatient instrumentation.