All that drains is not infectious otorrhea

It has been said that, 'All that wheezes is not asthma.' Thus, is also so of otorrhea. Bacterial infection most often causes otorrhea which, in turn, generally responds to treatment with ototopical antimicrobial therapy. When it persists, noninfectious etiologies must be considered. Although allergic causes of otorrhea have been described in the literature, inhalant environmental allergens (Type I Allergy) causing eustachian tube dysfunction or ototopical drops, most notoriously neomycin containing formulations, causing contact dermatitis are those usually mentioned. Further, most reports of contact allergic reactions of the ear have involved the external auditory canal skin or pinna and have been attributed to non-medicinal triggers like shampoos and metals used in ear rings. A search of the literature failed to reveal a reported case of recurrent or chronic otorrhea without cholesteatoma due to an allergic reaction to the components of a tympanotomy tube (TT). Such a case is presented here. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.