Glomus Jugulare Tumors

Abstract

The first report of a glomus jugulare tumor is attributed to Rosenwasser (1945) with his publication, “Carotid Body Tumor of the Middle Ear and Mastoid.” The true nature of the neoplasm was recognized by the pathologist Otani, but Rosenwasser suggested its origin from the glomus jugularis (sic), recently rediscovered by Guild (1941). Lubbers (1937) was actually the first to describe the presence of a carotid-body-like tumor in the middle ear, but he erroneously attributed it to metastasis from a contralateral carotid body tumor. Bartels (1949) reviewed the slides of this case and confirmed the identical appearance of the 2 tumors. Köhlmeier (1948), independently and unaware of Guild’s publication, correctly recognized the true nature of these middle ear neoplasms. Zak (1954) introduced the term Otani’s tumor. He recognized in 1945 that “endothelial” and other tumors of the petrous bone were in reality of glomic origin.