Petrified ears: Calcification of the auricular cartilage

Abstract

Calcification of the auricular cartilage, or “petrified ears,” is an uncommonly reported condition characterized by the development of stony-hard auricular cartilage of one or both ears without visible changes in the appearance of the ear. The calcification may be metabolic/metastatic in patients with elevated calcium and phosphorus or dystrophic when following damage to or inflammation of the cartilage. A variety of exogenous environmental exposures and systemic diseases have been associated with the development of this entity, although the exact etiology remains unknown.