Aberrant carotid artery in the middle ear.

A myringotomy performed on a 2-year-old girl, resulted in profuse aural hemorrhage which recurred when the patient cried. Carotid angiography revealed bilateral aberrant internal carotid arteries in the middle ears. In this case, and in previously reported cases as well, otalgia was one of the initial symptoms of the anomaly. So as to avoid faulty myringotomy, recognition of this entity is essential in cases presenting reddish swelling of the inferior quadrant of the tympanic membrane.