Aural polyps: safe or unsafe disease?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a case of inflammatory aural polyp constitutes a safe or unsafe disease and to arrive at the most suitable treatment option.


METHODS
Prospective study. Follow-up period of 6 months.


METHODS
Hospitalized treatment in a tertiary medical college hospital that provides care for a predominantly rural population.


METHODS
All patients treated for aural polyp, having a postoperative histopathological diagnosis of inflammatory aural polyp. Most patients (72%) belonged to the lower middle class.


RESULTS
Forty-two patients treated during a 4-year-period were analyzed. Eleven cases were treated by simple aural polypectomy, of which 78% had either recurrence or persistent disease. Out of 31 patients who underwent mastoid exploration, 52% had extensive disease of the mastoid air-cell system and 35% had an underlying cholesteatoma. Six percent had persistent discharge. The disease was often associated with complications (19%).


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of an aural polyp signifies well-established disease of the middle ear cleft with a greater potential for complications and often obscures an underlying cholesteatoma. We propose that all cases of aural polyps should be considered as unsafe disease and subjected to a formal mastoid exploration.
Prasannaraj
Thomas
T
Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, R L Jalappa Hospital and Research Center, Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Karnataka, India.
De
Narajit S
NS
Narasimhan
Indira
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000473:pathology; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004432:Ear, Middle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies