title: [Clinical study of 26 patients with osteoma in the external].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the experience of diagnosis and treatment on osteoma in the external auditory canal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study were undertaken in 26 patients with osteoma in the external auditory canal operated in author's unit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Osteomas were removed through interauricular approach in all patients and confirmed by histopathological examination. The hearing of 22 patients with conductive hearing loss became normal after operation. The air conduction hearing threshold in 2 patients with mixed hearing loss improved average 15 dB and 20 dB respectively after operation. The follow up was more than 1 year, and no recurrence or complications had occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Osteoma in the external auditory canal is an uncommon benign lesion. The method of choice in diagnosis is temporal bone CT scan. Osteoma must be distinguished from exostosis in the external auditory canal. Osteoma is confirmed by pathological diagnosis and surgery is the only method for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710038, China. lz_yuxing@sina.com
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ru'na
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yongzhu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Limei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010016:Osteoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult