Table 1.

Overview of the most common differential diagnoses for inflammatory diseases of the petrous bone and middle ear and their mimics.

External auditory canal	Otitis externa maligna [11] Cholesteatoma of the external ear canal [11] Auditory canal exostosis [12] Keratosis obturans [13]
Middle ear and mastoid	Acute otitis media [14] Chronic otitis media [14] Mastoiditis [15] Tympanosclerosis [15] Cholesteatoma of the middle ear [16] Cholesterol granuloma [15] Inflammatory pseudotumor [17] Wegner granulomatosis [18] Petrous apicitis [19]
Inner ear	Tympanogenic labyrinthitis [20] Otogene purulent meningitis [21]