Endoscopic Medial Reepithelization for Inflammatory Canal Stenosis

Objective Inflammatory external auditory canal (EAC) Stenosis arises from infiltration of inflammatory cells, edema and eventual sclerosing of the medial EAC, leading to complete obstruction and conductive hearing loss. Current treatment includes surgical resection of the affected area with widening and reepithelization of the EAC via postauricular incision, but the condition is reported to recur with high frequency. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of endoscopic transcanal treatment as an alternative to postauricular canalplasty and understand its effect on recurrence rates. Study Design Retrospective case review. Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients Four patients were included who had bilateral conductive hearing loss and inflammatory canal stenosis, all with gross thickening of the tympanic membrane. Interventions Patients underwent endoscopic removal of obstructive tissue and reepithelization with split-thickness skin grafting. Main Outcome Measures Postoperative air-bone gap (ABG), lack of recurrence, subjective reporting of hearing improvement, and lack of drainage. Results Eight of 8 ears (n = 4 patients) had significant improvement in hearing. No recurrence has been observed in any of the patients over a mean follow-up time of 90 months (range, 42-189 mo). Average reduction in ABG was 13.40 dB (SD = 9.0 dB) with a statistically significant difference between the pure tone average preoperative and postoperative ABG (p = 0.0008; n = 7). Conclusions Endoscopic treatment of Inflammatory EAC stenosis obviates the need for postauricular incision and results in clinical improvement with a favorable recurrence rate.