Tonic Tympanic Tensor Muscle Syndrome: About a Case at the ENT Unit of the Douala General Hospital

Tonic tympanic muscle syndrome is a little-known entity. It has been defined by Westscott et al as “an involuntary anxiety-based condition where the reflex threshold of muscle activity is reduced, causing frequent spasm.” [3] Epidemiologically, a multi-clinical study of 345 patients with hyperacusis found that 81.1% had S.T.M.T.T. [3], there was no gender predominance. Clinically, the major symptoms are painful hyperacusis, non-pulsatile click-type tinnitus, a feeling of fullness of the ear, headaches, dizziness in some cases. We present the case of a 54-year-old patient who presented with left painful hyperacusis and left click tinnitus. The symptoms started 2 years ago as a result of a more or less permanent state of stress. The purpose of this article is to present the originality of the case due to its rarity and the difficulties related to the diagnosis and management of this pathology in our environment.

Keywords: Tensor Tympanic Muscle, Tonic Eardrum Tensor Muscle Syndrome.