Surgical management of external auditory canal lesions.
BACKGROUND
Lesions arising in the external auditory canal that require surgical excision are uncommon. They are associated with a range of pathologies, including bony abnormalities, infections, benign and malignant neoplasms, and epithelial disorders.


METHODS
This paper describes a 10-year personal case series of external auditory canal lesions with chart, imaging and histopathology review.


RESULTS
In total, 48 lesions required surgical management, consisting of: 13 bony lesions; 14 infective lesions; 14 neoplasms with 11 histological types (including ceruminous adenoma and the extremely rare cavernous haemangioma); 3 epithelial abnormalities; and 4 other benign lesions. The surgical management is described.


CONCLUSIONS
This study emphasises the diagnostic differences between exostoses and osteomas, and between external auditory canal cholesteatoma and keratosis obturans. It also discusses the management of aural polyps, and highlights the need to excise external auditory canal masses for histology in order to guide subsequent treatment.
Department of Otolaryngology, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
P M
PM
Spielmann
S
S
McKean
R D
RD
White
S S M
SS
Hussain
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002781:Cholesteatoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities; D005096:Exostoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult