Leiomyoma of the external auditory canal--a case report and brief review of the literature.

Leiomyoma usually originates from the uterus and alimentary tract, but rarely from the soft tissue of the head and neck. It is extremely rare that leiomyoma appears in the external auditory canal. A 47-year-old male with left external auditory canal leiomyoma presented with conductive hearing impairment and post-auricular swelling. Tumor excision was successful via a retroauricular approach. The pathological examination demonstrated a vascular leiomyoma without malignant change. To date, including our case, only three cases of external auditory canal leiomyoma have been reported. The tumor occurs mainly in adult males aged around 50 and should be included in the differential diagnoses for external auditory canal tumor. The proper treatment of choice is complete excision. In case of an external auditory canal tumor, even if it is believed to be benign before surgery, precise pathologic examination is required to exclude the possibility of malignancy.