Intravenous Methylprednisolone as a Transition Treatment in Red Ear Syndrome: A Case Report

Red ear syndrome (RES) is a rare condition of unknown etiology characterized by episodic attacks of unilateral ear pain, redness, and burning sensation. A 31-year-old male patient was admitted to our clinic with a severe headache reaching up to 5 h, presenting with short bursts of electric shock-like sensation, burning, and tingling in the left side of his face. The patient was unresponsive to previous medical treatments. Lidocaine 10% through the intranasal route for sphenopalatine ganglion and stellate ganglion blockade under the guidance of fluoroscopy also failed. Given that the Red-Ear syndrome shares similar pathophysiological pathways with trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, the patient was treated with high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone, and since then, he has been symptom-free for 6 months. High-dose steroid therapy might be a good alternative in late-onset RES as a transition treatment.