title: Radical meatoplasty in the treatment of severe chronic external otitis.
abstract: In the beginning, external otitis is an inflammation of the skin of the external ear canal. Partial or total obliteration of the meatus causes cleaning problems, which worsen the obliteration, and hence, the infection. Immunosuppressive medication or illness, certain dermatological problems or frequent infections may lead to irreversible changes and to the malignant form of external otitis with life-threatening sequelae. Conservative treatments in the beginning are aimed at regaining the normal skin functions by helping the cleaning process and curing the acute infection with repeated irrigation, proper antibacterial medication and corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory analgesics. In rare prolonged cases, surgical procedures are needed to help the cleaning process by removing the irreversibly thickened skin and bone affections, and using grafts. On the basis of our experience, even the removal of the diseased skin and enlarging of the external ear canal are insufficient procedures in the most difficult cases. In the present paper, we describe a new surgical method that we have performed to treat chronic bilateral obliterative external otitis in 2 patients, with favorable results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland. jorma.haapaniemi@kaarina.fi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haapaniemi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laurikainen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suonpää
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D011239:Prednisolone