Ear and audiology: aberrant carotid artery: practice question

A ENT question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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ENT · Ear and audiology: aberrant carotid artery

Sample item

A 20-year-old woman has pulsatile tinnitus and a red mass seen through the inferior part of an intact drum. CT shows absence of the bony carotid canal in its usual place and a vessel in the middle ear. Why is biopsy contraindicated?

AIt is a high jugular bulb that cannot bleedBIt is a cholesteatoma pearlCThe mass is an aberrant internal carotid arteryDIt is a glomus tumour that bleeds only slightly

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. The mass is an aberrant internal carotid artery

An aberrant internal carotid artery enters the middle ear through an enlarged inferior tympanic canaliculus and passes along the promontory. Biopsy or myringotomy can cause catastrophic haemorrhage, and CT shows the vessel crossing the cochlear promontory. Imaging should precede any ear surgery in a pulsatile retrotympanic mass.

Option by option

A. It is a high jugular bulb that cannot bleed
A high jugular bulb lies in the hypotympanum posteriorly and may bleed heavily.
B. It is a cholesteatoma pearl
A cholesteatoma is white and not pulsatile.
C. The mass is an aberrant internal carotid artery (correct)
Correct. The vessel runs in the middle ear and must not be incised.
D. It is a glomus tumour that bleeds only slightly
A glomus tumour lies on the promontory but a vessel absent from the canal points to an anomalous artery.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this ENT question

What is the answer to this ENT question?

The best answer is C, The mass is an aberrant internal carotid artery. An aberrant internal carotid artery enters the middle ear through an enlarged inferior tympanic canaliculus and passes along the promontory.

Why is "It is a high jugular bulb that cannot bleed" not the answer?

A high jugular bulb lies in the hypotympanum posteriorly and may bleed heavily.

Why is "It is a cholesteatoma pearl" not the answer?

A cholesteatoma is white and not pulsatile.

Why is "It is a glomus tumour that bleeds only slightly" not the answer?

A glomus tumour lies on the promontory but a vessel absent from the canal points to an anomalous artery.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Ear and audiology: aberrant carotid artery in ENT. Biopsy or myringotomy can cause catastrophic haemorrhage, and CT shows the vessel crossing the cochlear promontory. Imaging should precede any ear surgery in a pulsatile retrotympanic mass.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Ear and audiology: aberrant carotid artery?

Learn tuning fork results and audiogram patterns by sketching them. Then use the flashcards and the other ENT questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.