Exostosis of the external auditory canal: a technical note.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the author's method of managing occlusive exostosis of the external auditory canal.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary referral ambulatory otology clinic.

PATIENTS: A case series of patients treated sequentially by the author over 15 years, all of whom had occlusive external auditory canal exostoses that could not be treated by medical management.

INTERVENTION: Permeatal surgical removal of the anterior exostosis only.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Surgical relief of occlusive external auditory canal disease by restoration of hearing and absence of infection with persistence of an external auditory canal and no symptoms of recurrence.

RESULTS

A total of 8 men were treated by anterior exostosis removal. Follow-up continued on these patients for a period of 5 to 15 years after the operation, and none showed any evidence of recurrence or tendency to narrowing of the deep ear canal. One patient incurred a tympanic membrane perforation at escostosis surgery that was repaired during the operation.

CONCLUSION

Anterior exostosis removal by a permeatal route is a safe, rapid, and effective method of relieving patients of occlusive external auditory canal exostosis. By leaving the posterior exostosis intact, patients are not put at risk for injury to the facial nerve, chorda tympani nerve, or ossicles. When the deep ear canal is drilled blind, there are no landmarks to indicate the true path of the external canal.