Rachel Grimes, Savannah Stockton, Amanda Barrett, Pramila Moideen, Sarah Hodge
{"title":"A Massive Ear Canal Mass Resulting from an Embedded Arthropod.","authors":"Rachel Grimes, Savannah Stockton, Amanda Barrett, Pramila Moideen, Sarah Hodge","doi":"10.1097/MAO.0000000000004439","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe a case of a massive ear mass obstructing the external auditory canal (EAC) attributed to an embedded arthropod, highlighting the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges posed by unusual etiologies of ear masses.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>The case was a 35-year-old female prisoner who presented with a 5 × 5.5 cm palpable exophytic mass obstructing the right EAC, accompanied by progressive hearing loss, bloody discharge, and persistent tinnitus.</p><p><strong>Interventions: </strong>Surgical excision of the infiltrating mass involving mastoidectomy and canaloplasty.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Initial pathology suggested a pyogenic granuloma, but further analysis revealed a degenerating arthropod within reactive myofibroblastic and vascular changes. The patient was lost to follow-up despite a multidisciplinary treatment approach and primary surgical excision of the mass.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After surgical excision, the mass was confirmed as a florid reactive myofibroblastic and vascular mass enveloping a degenerating arthropod. The patient responded well to treatment without signs of infection or recurrence during follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We report a case that emphasizes the importance of considering unusual etiologies for ear masses, especially in at-risk populations. It underscores the necessity for refined diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to manage similar clinical scenarios in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":19732,"journal":{"name":"Otology & Neurotology","volume":" ","pages":"e135-e138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Otology & Neurotology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000004439","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To describe a case of a massive ear mass obstructing the external auditory canal (EAC) attributed to an embedded arthropod, highlighting the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges posed by unusual etiologies of ear masses.
Patients: The case was a 35-year-old female prisoner who presented with a 5 × 5.5 cm palpable exophytic mass obstructing the right EAC, accompanied by progressive hearing loss, bloody discharge, and persistent tinnitus.
Interventions: Surgical excision of the infiltrating mass involving mastoidectomy and canaloplasty.
Main outcome measures: Initial pathology suggested a pyogenic granuloma, but further analysis revealed a degenerating arthropod within reactive myofibroblastic and vascular changes. The patient was lost to follow-up despite a multidisciplinary treatment approach and primary surgical excision of the mass.
Results: After surgical excision, the mass was confirmed as a florid reactive myofibroblastic and vascular mass enveloping a degenerating arthropod. The patient responded well to treatment without signs of infection or recurrence during follow-up.
Conclusions: We report a case that emphasizes the importance of considering unusual etiologies for ear masses, especially in at-risk populations. It underscores the necessity for refined diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to manage similar clinical scenarios in the future.
期刊介绍:
Otology & Neurotology publishes original articles relating to both clinical and basic science aspects of otology, neurotology, and cranial base surgery. As the foremost journal in its field, it has become the favored place for publishing the best of new science relating to the human ear and its diseases. The broadly international character of its contributing authors, editorial board, and readership provides the Journal its decidedly global perspective.