Rerouting the external auditory canal. A method of correcting congenital stenosis.
An hourglass or funnel-shaped, stenosed, external auditory meatus with a normal tympanic membrane, middle and inner ear is one of the congenital anomalies that occasionally occurs. Such abnormality was present in both ears of a woman and caused chromic otitis externa and deafness. A routine meatoplasty on the right ear failed because of an unusual cephalad position of the drumhead in relation to a "downhill" position of the stenosed outer meatus. Rerouting the ear canal to a horizontal position by removing bone of the canal superiorly, posteriorly, and inferiorly, and grafting the now horizontal canal with skin taken from the postauricular fold produced a good result. This is a satisfactory procedure for a woman, but would be cosmetically unacceptable for a man.
D000293:Adolescent; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D003638:Deafness / Q000209:etiology; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000209:etiology; D012008:Recurrence; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000379:methods*