Extramedullary hematopoiesis of the middle ear in a patient with thalassemia

Abstract

Extramedullary hematopoiesis, the formation of blood cells outside trabecular bone, is not an uncommon phenomenon. It occurs as a result of an increased demand on the hematopoietic system from anemia combined with an ineffective response by the bone marrow. It has been associated with both congenital and acquired anemias, as well as bone marrow infiltrating diseases such as myelofibrosis, leukemia, and osteitis fibrosa cystica.‘J There are only two other reported cases of extramedullary hematopoiesis occurring in the middle ear. Both cases were young black patients with sickle cell disease.lOz’l This is the first reported case of extramedullary hematopoiesis in the middle ear occurring in a patient with thalassemia.