Petroclival meningioma: a rare cause of serous otitis media.

A 22 years man presented with aural fullness and hearing impairment in his right ear for one year. Otoscopy showed middle ear effusion in the right ear and nasopharyngoscopy revealed a protruding mass on the right side of the nasopharynx. Computed tomography of the nasopharynx showed a large intracranial tumor extending to the infratemporal region via foramen ovale. The patient received staged surgeries and final pathology was diagnosed as meningioma. Approximately 20% of all intracranial tumors are meningiomas and only about 2% of these occur in the petroclival region. Although most meningiomas are benign and asymptomatic, they can cause head and neck manifestations as extending through a skull foramen, across a cranial suture or through a tumor-induced bone defect. Radiographic evaluation is required to rule out this rare clinical entity.