Benign necrotizing otitis externa

by Alexandros Tsikoudas, FRCS(Ed), DLO and Brian Clive Davis, FRCS(Ed) | Monday, June 01, 2009

IntroductionBenign necrotizing otitis externa (BNOE) was first reported by Goufas in 1954.1 It is a rare condition of the external acoustic meatus of unknown etiology, although it probably has a multifactorial origin. Factors that have been implicated are repeated trauma of the external canal and vascular abnormalities. Although people with diabetes appear to have a higher incidence of BNOE, the true incidence is not clear. Other possible factors include syphilis, arterial embolus, and neurotrophic disturbances.2The usual presentation of BNOE includes chronic infective otorrhea with underlying avascular necrosis of the tympanic plate and the development of a sequestrum. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the usual organism cultured.Because of the small population of patients affected by this condition, a literature search revealed no references on age, race, or gender predominance, although more male patients have been described, usually older than 50 years. Few of the patients were diabetic .../continued/

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