title: Facial extention of ear pathology: infected cholesteatoma causing a parotid abscess.
abstract: A man in his early 30s presented with right-sided preauricular swelling and facial oedema. He had a history of acid injury to his right ear as a child resulting in pinna deformity and subsequent blind sac closure of the external auditory canal. Imaging showed abnormal ear anatomy and abnormal density of the right parotid gland. Antibiotic therapy prevented progression but did not resolve the symptoms. Therefore, the infected area was surgically drained. This showed an underlying cholesteatoma, a benign but locally destructive condition where keratinising squamous epithelium grows in the middle ear and mastoid. The infected region was drained and the cholesteatoma was excised. This led to full resolution of the infection. The patient is awaiting a follow-up diffusion-weighted MRI. This case was unusual as the disease had extended beyond the ear and we therefore wish to alert clinicians to cholesteatoma as a possible cause of facial swelling.
authors: Department of ENT, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK.
authors: Chrysostomos
authors: C
authors: Tornari
authors: Department of ENT, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK.
authors: Surojit
authors: S
authors: Pal
authors: Department of Radiology, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK.
authors: Ravi Kumar
authors: RK
authors: Lingam
authors: Department of ENT, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Kalan
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002781:Cholesteatoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D010305:Parotid Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002939:Ciprofloxacin