Polypoidal organization of aspirated amniotic squamous debris(amnion nodosum) in middle-ear cavity of newborn infants.

The development of polypoidal structures, derived from organization of amniotic squamous debris, in the middle-ear cavity of 3 infants is described. The lesions mimicked the development of amnion nodosum lesions of the placenta and were attached to either the tympanic membrane or the head of the stapes. They were accompained by atypical metaplastic changes in the middle-ear epithelium. While the clinical significance of the structural changes is uncertain, they strengthen the case for histopathological examination of the middle ear in infant necropsies.