title: External auditory canal closure: an alternative management for the refractory chronically draining ear.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the surgical technique and evaluate the effectiveness of external auditory canal (EAC) closure in patients with refractory chronically draining ears.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case review of seven patients who underwent EAC closure for chronically draining ears at a private tertiary otologic referral center between 2001 and 2004. Three patients underwent concomitant placement of a BAHA implant, and one patient underwent cochlear implantation during a second-stage procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All seven patients had successful closure of the external auditory canal with elimination of chronic drainage. The follow-up interval ranged from 10 to 35 months. There were no cases of iatrogenic cholesteatoma formation or breakdown of the ear canal closure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with refractory chronically draining ears, EAC closure, alone or in conjunction with a bone-anchored implant, may be a treatment option. A BAHA implant can be placed during the initial procedure or staged.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Tohoku University, School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Calhoun D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McElveen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000601:surgery*; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014433:Tympanoplasty