Ear canal exostosis

OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence of external auditory canal exostosis ('surfer's ear') in Cornish surfers and investigate the potential impact on healthcare. METHOD: A total of 105 surfers were interviewed and otologically assessed on popular Cornish beaches. The degree of exostosis was graded as mild, moderate or severe. RESULTS: The prevalence of external auditory canal exostosis was 63.81 per cent (33.33 per cent mild, 18.10 per cent moderate and 12...

INTRODUCTION: Optic nerve compression is an uncommon disorder leading to deterioration or complete loss of vision. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 14-year-old Caucasian girl with a gradual deterioration of vision in her right eye. Using modern imaging techniques and endonasal endoscopic surgery, we identified the cause and removed the pathology. CONCLUSIONS: The cause of optic nerve compression was a rare exostosis in the optic canal...

Exostoses are bony outgrowths of the external auditory canal (EAC) that can lead to cerumen entrapment, recurrent infections, and conductive hearing loss. When surgical removal is indicated, a drill or osteotome may be used via a post-auricular, endaural, or transcanal approach. Studies suggest that exostoses removed by transcanal osteotome result in decreased morbidity when compared to open, drilled approaches; however, inadvertent injury to the facial nerve or inner ear is a theoretical concern given the restrictive geometry of the EAC and challenges of visualizing the tip of the chisel through the microscope...

To examine how individual surfing behaviour affects the development of external auditory canal exostosis and to produce a model to predict exostosis severity. A standardised questionnaire was completed and each participant underwent an otoscopic examination. Surfers were recruited from August to October 2011 from surfing competitions and from colleges in the South West of England. 207 surfers were included, 53 % had evidence of external auditory canal; exostosis: grade 1, 23%; grade 2, 16%, grade 3, 16%. This risk of exostosis significantly increased with (1) surfing for 6 or more years, (2) surfing in the winter months, (3) surfing five or more times per month in the winter and (4) reported ear symptoms...

Exostoses are benign bony excrescences of the external auditory canal, commonly encountered in people who avidly engage in aquatic activities, hence the name "surfer's ear". Exostoses are more prevalent in cold water surfers, and additional years of surfing increase one's risk not only for developing an exostosis but also for developing more severe lesions. Exostoses remain clinically silent until they become large enough to impair the egress of epithelial debris and water from the canal, in which case there may be an associated external otitis and fluctuating hearing loss...

There is a great deal of literature regarding the tori of the mouth and ear. However, there is controversy regarding the etiology and prevalence of each. The torus palatinus is generally agreed to be the most common oral exostosis and is more frequently found in females. The torus mandibularis is also quite common, is more prevalent in males, and occurs bilaterally in 80% of cases. Far less data have been presented regarding the torus maxillaries primarily due to the lack of consensus regarding its nomenclature and classification...

History of underwater diving dates back to antiquity. Breath-hold technique in diving was known to the ancient nations. However, deep diving progressed only in the early decades of the 19th century as the result of advancements in efficient underwater technologies which subsequently led to invention of sophisticated sets of scuba diving in the 20th century. Currently, diving is performed for various purposes including commercial, recreational, military, underwater construction, oil industry, underwater archeology and scientific assessment of marine life...

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience of diagnosis and treatment on osteoma in the external auditory canal. METHOD: Retrospective study were undertaken in 26 patients with osteoma in the external auditory canal operated in author's unit. RESULT: Osteomas were removed through interauricular approach in all patients and confirmed by histopathological examination. The hearing of 22 patients with conductive hearing loss became normal after operation...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Benign lesions of the external auditory canal (EAC) are an infrequent cause of temporal bone CT scan requests. We are not usually well versed in the different pathologies located in the EAC, perhaps because it is "only" a conduit and the relevant anatomical structures are located in the middle and inner ear. Our objective was to improve knowledge of this structure by reviewing the different benign conditions found in this location. METHODS: We reviewed the CT studies from 2 years (January 2010 through January 2012), selecting those containing lesions in the EAC...

Diseases of the external ear canal are a frequent reason for consulting the otolaryngologist. Conservative treatment is sufficient in most cases. Chronic problems of the external ear canal, however, sometimes require surgical treatment. Enlargement of the external ear canal as well as the entrance of the external ear canal are often simultaneously performed together with tympanoplasties, in order to obtain good access to the middle ear and to facilitate postoperative care. In this review, we focus on surgical techniques for different pathologies such as exostosis, stenosis, fibrosis, and tumors of the external ear canal...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the prevalence and severity of external auditory canal exostoses in a population of competitive surfers in Japan. The authors used a “surfing index,” the product of the period (years) as an active surfer and the frequency (number of surfing days per week), to predict external auditory exostoses formation. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A total of 5 surfing competitions that were held in Miyazaki, Japan...

INTRODUCTION: Osteomas and exostoses of the external auditory canal are benign tumours arising in bones, leading to its obstruction and causing hearing loss. The treatment of these entities may present a therapeutic dilemma. AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess epidemiological and clinical data and surgical treatment effectiveness. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 21 patients (14 men and 7 women) between 18 to 63 years of age, treated in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Medical University of Gdańsk from 1995 to 2009...

OBJECTIVES: 1. To correlate exostosis severity with ear canal evaporative cooling. 2. To assess hearing and complications after canalplasty. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective chart review from 1990 to 2007 at a university tertiary referral center. RESULTS: Surfers from the west coast of the United States were twice as likely to have severe exostoses in the right ear compared with the left...

INTRODUCTION: Canal wall defect repairs commonly result from cholesteatoma, surgery for chronic ear disease, or exostosis and also from congenital deformities. Reconstructions of these defects are often difficult and unstable. This article reports the use of titanium sheeting to repair external auditory canal wall defects. METHODS: Titanium sheeting was used to repair a variety of wall defects. The sheeting was used as a support material, lying deep to the wall defect, which was sealed with an autograft cartilage layer that was fitted to fill the defect...

CONCLUSION: The endoscopic approach to attic cholesteatoma allows clear observation of the tensor fold area and consequently, excision of the tensor fold, modifying the epitympanic diaphragm. This permits good removal of cholesteatoma and direct ventilation of the upper unit, preventing the development of a retraction pocket or attic cholesteatoma recurrence, with good functional results. OBJECTIVES: An isthmus block associated with a complete tensor fold is a necessary condition for creation and development of an attic cholesteatoma...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence and severity of external auditory exostoses in a population of experienced breath-hold divers, and to compare these to the same parameters within surfing and self-contained underwater breathing apparatus diving populations. DESIGN: A stepwise, multiple regression analysis of cross-sectional data examining the relative contributions of sea surface temperature, latitude of exposure and years of exposure to the prevalence and severity of stenosis due to external auditory exostoses...

A 53-year-old patient with myotonic dystrophy presented to our clinic with progressive bilateral hearing loss. The ENT status and particularly the otological examination were without pathological signs. Pure tone audiograms showed a bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Routinely performed computed tomography of the temporal bones revealed the rare picture of exostosis of the internal auditory canals and the medial surface of the petrous bones. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing exostosis of the internal auditory canal in a patient with myotonic dystrophy, although at present it remains unclear in how far there is a causal connection between these two pathologies...

Exostoses of the external auditory canal are benign bony tumours very common in individuals who frequently participate in aquatic activities. Although most of the cases are asymptomatic, patients with more severe exostoses have recurrent episodes of external otitis and related conductive hearing loss. In the great majority of these cases, a medical treatment (aspiration and antibiotic drops) resolves the symptoms. Patients with more severe canal stenosis, resistant to medical treatment, are candidates for surgical removal of the exostoses...

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Exostoses of the external auditory meatus is a well known condition which infrequently requires surgical correction. However, the stenosis caused by severe exostosis can affect quality of life considerably and may require surgical intervention. Canalplasty, in such a situation, is a valid and effective management option. In our series the commonest indication for surgery was recurrent otitis externa. The detailed surgical technique is described and a retrospective analysis of 65 such procedures is presented...