Spontaneous arteriovenous malformation of the external auditory meatus

Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) of the head and neck are rare. They usually occur intracranially and derive their vascular supply from the intracranial vessels. In the English literature there has not been any documented case of AVMs in and around the external auditory meatus (EAM). The authors present the first case, a spontaneous AVM deriving its vascular supply from the posterior auricular artery. The diagnostic difficulties and management strategies of spontaneous AVMs are discussed.