Exostosis of the external auditory canal.A 27-year-old man presented with a history of recurrent bilateral otalgia otalgia /otal·gia/ (o-tal´jah) pain in the ear; earache. o·tal·gia n. Pain in the ear; earache. o·tal and otorrhea; his acute episodes were relieved by antibiotic eardrops ear·drops pl.n. Liquid medicine administered into the ear. eardrops, n.pl oil-, water-, or alchol-based treatment that is placed in the ear. Used to treat inflammation and infections of the ear canal. . He also reported water retention in his ear canals after surfing and swimming. He denied hearing loss, tinnitus Tinnitus Definition Tinnitus is hearing ringing, buzzing, or other sounds without an external cause. Patients may experience tinnitus in one or both ears or in the head. , and vertigo. Otoscopic examination revealed that exostoses had filled more than 90% of both external auditory canals (figure). Audiologic testing revealed that the patient's heating was normal bilaterally. In two separate operations, he underwent a canaloplasty with removal of the exostosis exostosis /ex·os·to·sis/ (ek?sos-to´sis) 1. a benign bony growth projecting outward from a bone surface. 2. osteochondroma. . Exostoses are the most common benign tumors of the external auditory canal. They usually arise in patients who have a history of repeated exposure to cold water. These tumors are typically bilateral, multiple, and broad-based, and they tend to form at the suture lines. Occlusion occlusion /oc·clu·sion/ (o-kloo´zhun) 1. obstruction. 2. the trapping of a liquid or gas within cavities in a solid or on its surface. 3. of the external auditory canal is possible with time. Patients often complain of recurrent otalgia, otorrhea, and retention of water and debris. Exostoses should be distinguished from osteomas, which are unilateral and solitary. Canaloplasty is an effective treatment for exostoses; recurrence is uncommon. J. Walter Kutz, Jr., MD; Jose N. Fayad, MD |
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