title: Pre-auricular sinus: an uncommon presentation.
abstract: An infected pre-auricular sinus presenting as a post-auricular swelling is commonly misdiagnosed as an infected dermoid or sebaceous cyst. It may even mimic a mastoid abscess leading to further unwarranted investigations and interventions. We present a case of a 25-year-old Malay man who was initially diagnosed with recurrent infected dermoid cyst. At presentation, a right post-auricular inflamed swelling was noted with an overlying old incision and drainage scar. An auricular pit was found at the crus of helix. Using a blunt probe inserted along the sinus tract pus was drained without the need for further surgical incision. Six weeks after the acute episode, patient underwent excision of the pre-auricular sinus with no evidence of recurrence at three months follow up. Awareness by the attending physician of this 'variant type' of pre-auricular sinus at patient's first presentation may negate the need for unnecessary incision and drainage which may subsequently impact the outcome of surgical excision and reduce the risk of recurrence.
authors.affiliation: MBBchBAO.
authors.forename: Wsj
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: MBBS.
authors.forename: Yk
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: MD.
authors.forename: Kl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: MS.
authors.forename: Aw
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chong
keywords: Variant type pre-auricular sinus; post-auricular cyst