A case of osteoma with cholesteatoma in the external auditory canal

Osteoma in the external auditory canal (EAC) is an uncommon benign lesion, which presents as a solitary, unilateral, and slow-growing pedunculated mass in the outer half of the bony canal. It is usually asymptomatic; but symptoms can arise if a canal obstruction occurs. External canal cholesteatoma is also a rare lesion of the external auditory canal. Cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal may arise via several mechanisms. However, an occlusion or narrowing of the external auditory canal is the basic pathogenesis. The association of an osteoma with a cholesteatoma is extremely rare, and there have been very few reports published. We encountered a rare case of a 49-year-old man with an osteoid osteoma that was complicated by a cholesteatoma in the external auditory canal. The canal wall down mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty successfully removed the osteoma and the cholesteatoma, and no recurrence or complications had occurred in the first 6 months postoperatively. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.