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Case Reports
. 2021 Aug 4;13(8):e16873.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.16873. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Keratoacanthoma in the External Auditory Canal

Javier Ash  1 , Raju Limbu  2 , Victoria Alexander  2 , David Selvadurai  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Keratoacanthoma in the External Auditory Canal

Javier Ash et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

A 63-year-old male presented with a prolonged history of bilateral ear discharge, otalgia, and hearing loss. The patient required a significant number of investigations prior to obtaining a diagnosis. Subsequent investigations identified keratoacanthoma affecting the external ear canal (EAC). There has been no case report of keratoacanthoma within the EAC till now. The only risk factor identified for the development of keratoacanthoma, in this case, was the frequent use of earbuds and subsequent long-term trauma associated with a retained bud. The histology of keratoacanthoma is difficult to differentiate from that of squamous cell carcinoma but this is essential for the ear, nose, throat (ENT) multi-disciplinary team.

Keywords: external auditory canal; keratoacanthoma; otology; otorrhoea; severe otalgia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Axial Computer Tomography of the Internal Auditory Meatus
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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