title: Otoplast in the middle ear cleft - a rare complication of hearing aid fitting and its surgical management.
abstract: Hearing aid fitment is a routine, usually safe procedure carried out by hearing aid technicians or even audiologists. Hearing aids are often considered the benign, non-surgical alternative to rehabilitate a patient who cannot be helped surgically. It is rare to have to resort surgery to manage a complication resulting from hearing aid fitting. We report here, a case of otoplast as a foreign body in the middle ear cleft (middle ear cavity and mastoid). The otoplast was used to prepare a mould for the hearing aid and the syringe carrying the otoplast burst splashing the material into the middle ear and the mastoid. This resulted in sudden excruciating pain, further loss of hearing and intractable otorrhea. After several attempts to remove the material elsewhere, our patient underwent a successful mastoid exploration to remove the otoplast resulting in a dry ear after seven years of persistent otorrhea. Patient's professional requirement for good hearing necessitated a myringoplasty on the other (only hearing) ear. He is now happily rehabilitated with a dry but deaf left ear and a normally hearing right ear.
authors.affiliation: Department of otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, 5027, Kedarnath Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi, 110 002 India.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dhawan
authors.forename: Nishi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goyal
authors.forename: Virender
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Singh
keywords: Mastoid cavity; Middle ear mould; Otoplast; Unusual foreign body of middle ear cleft