title: Characteristics and prognosis of malignant external otitis with facial paralysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the characteristics and prognosis of patients with malignant (necrotizing) external otitis (MEO) with and without facial nerve palsy in today's era of third-generation antibiotics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, a tertiary care medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight patients with MEO diagnosed and treated from 1990 to 2004. Eight had facial paralysis and 40 had normal facial nerve function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference between patients with and without facial nerve involvement in terms of age, comorbidities, duration of complaints, physical findings, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and bone scan findings. Computed tomography indicated a more progressive disease in patients with facial nerve involvement. However, no statistically significant between-group difference was found in overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although facial nerve involvement is a sign of progression of MEO, it does not, by itself, worsen prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Epidemiology Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqwa 49100, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soudry
authors.forename: Ben Zion
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Joshua
authors.forename: Jaqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sulkes
authors.forename: Ben I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Nageris
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D004431:Ear, External / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed