Necrotising otitis externa in the immunocompetent patient: case series.

BACKGROUND: Necrotising otitis externa can be a devastating form of otitis externa. It typically tends to affect patients who are immunocompromised or diabetic. To date, there is very little in the literature about necrotising otitis externa in the immunocompetent patient population.

CASE REPORTS: The present paper discusses both the clinical and radiological findings in three cases of necrotising otitis externa in an immunocompetent patient cohort. The common factor among all three patients was their advanced age.

CONCLUSION: Diagnosing necrotising otitis externa can be challenging because of the potentially non-specific symptoms and the absence of early radiological signs, particularly if patients are neither immunocompromised nor diabetic. Elderly patients should be considered in the same light as immunocompromised and diabetic patients in the context of necrotising otitis externa.