Foreign Body of External Auditory Canal: Review of 170 Cases

Abstract

Background and Objectives Foreign bodies in the external auditory canal (EAC) are frequently encountered by otolaryngologists, emergency care physicians and pediatricians. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical characteristics, complications, as well as to investigate the proper management of foreign bodies in the EAC. Subjects and Method We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed clinical records of patients who presented with foreign bodies in the EAC at the otolaryngologic department of Keimyung University Dongsan hospital from January, 2011 to October, 2016. Results One-hundred seventy patients with aural foreign bodies were identified. The age of patients ranged from 12 months to 83 years, with 34.1% of the patients being under 10 years of age. Thirteen different types of foreign bodies were found, where insects, cottons and beads were the most common. Approximately 98% of the foreign bodies were removed without general anesthesia by using proper instruments under direct vision. Complications were observed in 5.8% of the patients: these included laceration and bleeding from the EAC(80%) and traumatic perforation of the tympanic membrane (20%). Conclusion Various methods are available for foreign body removal from the EAC. In order to remove foreign bodies successfully and reduce complications, patients should be given precautions, such as, regarding adequate immobilization, prior to removing foreign bodies using proper instruments with a surgical microscope under appropriate anesthesia. Key words: Children ㆍ External auditory canal ㆍ Foreign body