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Otitis externa is a relatively common complication of ear syringing. Temporomandibular joint complications of otitis externa are rare. A case of otitis externa with communication between the external auditory canal and the temporomandibular joint is described.
Management of otitis externa and the discharging mastoid cavity accounts for a significant proportion of the ENT out-patient workload. A simple technique of topical application of dermatological preparations is described which is easy and effective.
A prospective study of otitis externa in the district of South Bedfordshire was undertaken between October 1990 and January 1991. Patients were referred untreated by general practitioners; self-referred patients with external otitis were also included. A detailed history was taken, the severity of the condition assessed, aural toilet performed, bacteriology swabs taken and the patient treated according to department protocol. 48 patients were included in the study; a similar number of age and sex-matched controls without otitis externa were randomly selected from the ENT outpatient clinics for comparison. Regular swimming emerged as a significant factor in the aetiology of otitis externa. The commonest organism cultured was Pseudomonas aeruginosa and this accounted for the most severe cases seen.
The commonest cause of ear-ache in children is otitis externa and five new cases of otitis externa will be seen for every case of otitis media.ACUTE OTITIS EXTERNA AND OTITIS MEDIA ARE QUITE DIFFERENT AND DISTINCT CLINICAL ENTITIES IN CHILDREN: the former is a tender, dirty, pruritic ear, often recurring in children with simple febrile illnesses; the latter is more isolated than is realised, non-recurrent and usually accompanying upper respiratory catarrhal illness.The fleeting nature of otitis externa as seen in childhood is typical of clinical material in general practice that presents quite differently from that in hospital practice. The long aetiological lists quoted in all series of cases of otitis externa in adults do not apply to otitis externa as seen in children.
Otitis externa seen in general practice is most commonly bacterial in origin and is readily diagnosed and treated if a few simple guidelines are followed. These guidelines are discussed with emphasis on distinguishing the condition from otitis media, performing adequate ear toilet and choosing appropriate topical medications and vehicles for their application.
Ten patients with bilateral moderate or severe otitis externa were studied. Following aural toilet each patient was subjected to two different treatments: one ear had alternate day dressings containing a topical antibiotic/steroid mixture, while the external canal of the other was filled with the same topical preparation (sump filling). Improvement in the severity of the otitis externa was assessed after 1 week. 9 out of 10 ear canals improved in each group. An estimate of the relative cost of each treatment was made and sump filling was found to be less expensive. The results suggest that sump filling is a low cost alternative to standard treatment in moderate and severe otitis externa.
The bacterial and mycotic flora were assessed in 158 ears of dogs with otitis externa and in 101 ears of healthy control dogs. Pityrosporum pachydermatis occurred in 57 per cent of ears with otitis externa and in 17 per cent of clinically healthy ears. Staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the predominant bacteria in otitic ears, micrococci and Bacillus spp were the most frequent isolates from clinically healthy ears. P pachydermatis, Ps aeruginosa and Candida tropicalis occurred in monoculture in a significant number of mainly chronic cases of otitis externa. A combination preparation, containing miconazole, polymyzin B and prednisolone, was highly effective in controlling the clinical signs of otitis externa and eliminating flora from the affected ears. The data presented suggest that yeasts, and especially P pachydermatis, may be significant pathogens in otitis externa and that antimycotic treatment is an essential part of the treatment of otitis externa in dogs.
Three cases of Necrotizing Otitis Externa are described and a suggestion made of a possible relation between the severity and progress of the disease and the degree of pneumatization of the mastoid.
Eight beagles were experimentally inoculated intraotally with Malassezia pachydermatis to induce acute otitis externa. Three or 4 days after the inoculation, the animals showed the symptoms of otitis externa. All ear canals were erythematous and the dogs were shaking their heads. A large number of M. pachydermatis was noticed in exudate taken from every ear canal. Clinical signs of otitis externa were reduced after treatment with 0.1 ml (per canal) of 1% pimaricin suspension twice a day for 3 days. The amount of exudate decreased gradually and 12 of the 16 ear swabs examined, thereafter, were found to be negative for M. pachydermatis within 10 days. No side effects were observed in all the treated cases. These results suggested that M. pachydermatis could induce the canine otitis externa, and that pimaricin is effective agent for M. pachydermatis infection in ear canals.
An outbreak of otitis externa was observed to affect one third of 230 swimmers using a new swimming pool within three weeks of its opening. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was grown from the water and from all of the nine swabs taken from the infected ears of the swimmers. During the same period only six other cases of otitis externa were seen in the local general practice serving 4,000 patients. The disinfection procedures were found to be defective and after they were corrected the outbreak subsided.
A case is described of malignant otitis externa which was cured by a regime of general and local treatment, including the use of the antibiotic Tobramycin and timely mastoid surgery. The origins, progression, diagnosis and treatment of the disease are discussed with reference to some of the increasingly numerous reports in the literature. Reports disclose an increasing incidence and also an improved prognosis. The former is probably related to the survival of more elderly diabetics and the latter to a better understanding of the disease process and to early medical and, if necessary, surgical treatment. An important feature regarding treatment has been the advent of powerful specific antibiotics including Tobramycin.
The bacterial and fungal flora of 1118 ears of dogs with otitis externa and 100 ears of healthy control dogs were studied in order to isolate the causative agents. The yeast Malassezia pachydermatis (56%) was by far the most common organism in otitic dogs followed by the bacteria Staphylococcus intermedius (23%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12%), Proteus spp. (6%) and Streptococcus canis (5%). A statistical analysis of observed results showed that the incidence of these organisms is significant in otitic dogs. Many strains of S.intermedius, P.aeruginosa and Proteus spp. are resistant to antimicrobial agents commonly used to treat otitis externa. Therefore an antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using "Cobas Bact" for these bacterias. Furthermore, 80 strains of M.pachydermatis were submitted to identification-kits (API 20 CAUX, API STAPH, Cobas Micro). The observed results showed that an identification with these tests was not possible.
A statistical analysis of the relationship between otitis externa and various clinical and etiological variables was carried out in 64 patients. Between 1988 and 1989, true eczema of the auditory canal was found in 43 of the 64 patients seen sequentially. 23.5% of all the patients found to have dermatitis could be regarded as having allergic contact dermatitis and the allergen identified. This incidence is less than the 40% and the 58% found in other previous studies. We did not find any specific difference in sex and age between the allergic and non-allergic groups. In the allergic group, topical drugs were the commonest sensitizing agents, followed by chemicals and resins found in the ear prosthesis. Twenty-one patients with negative patch tests were classified as seborrheic dermatitis and 11 as atopic dermatitis. The other 19 patients, who were discharged before patch testing, were diagnosed as having psoriasis (8) or chronic bacterial (6) or fungal infections (5), without true blister reaction. We think that accurately selected series must be used for these studies because of the low incidence of allergic contact dermatitis.
This paper reports the results of middle ear pressure measurements on 33 patients with recurrent otitis externa and compares the results with those of 21 normal subjects. The maximum negative pressure in the control group was -50 mm. of water, while 17 patients (52%) with recurrent otitis externa recorded measurements of -100 mm. of water or more. It is postulated that chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction may interfere with the normal migration of epithelium from the tympanic membrane along the external auditory meatus leading to irritation and chronic infection. The treatment in these cases should be directed at the underlying cause of the Eustachian tube dysfunction.
From January, 1973, to December, 1975, the most prevalent microorganisms isolated from ear swab specimens taken from 323 dogs with otitis externa were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus spp. Comparison of the antibiograms of these isolants to those reported from England in 1961 and from the United States in 1970 suggested emergence of a greater proportion of bacterial strains with resistance to antibacterial agents commonly used to treat otitis externa of dogs.
We describe a case of an unsuspected button battery foreign body in the ear canal causing symptoms that mimic malignant otitis externa in a previously healthy 13 year old. Button batteries in the ear canal may cause extensive liquefactive necrosis of the surrounding tissue by leaking an alkaline electrolyte solution. Suspicion of a foreign body should be maintained in any child presenting with a complicated otitis externa. Prompt evaluation and removal of button batteries are necessary to prevent tissue destruction.
Malignant otitis externa (MOE) is a potentially fatal infection of the external auditory canal caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a majority of cases. Treatment of MOE has changed over the years. Surgical debridement of all infected tissue is no longer considered the treatment of choice and has been replaced by localized surgical debridement supplemented with long-term antimicrobial chemotherapy. The recent availability of the fluoroquinolones and in particular ciprofloxacin has opened up new therapeutic opportunities.
Budding yeasts were present in the majority of cases of otitis externa examined. A reddish-brown, dry, waxy discharge was the typical exudate. A successful treatment of yeast-infected ears was multiple otic lavages using a combination of an aqueous solution of poloxamer-iodine and application of an antifungal-antibiotic-corticosteroids ointment.