A Rare Case of a Sebaceous Nevus in the External Auditory Canal

We report the case of a patient who came to us for evaluation of a progressive unilateral hearing loss and who was found to have a sebaceous nevus in an unusual location: the external auditory canal. A sebaceous nevus is a congenital organoid mass that occurs primarily on the face, scalp, and periau...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ear, nose, & throat journal nose, & throat journal, 2003-01, Vol.82 (1), p.38-41
Main Authors: Bothwell, Nici Eddy, Willard, Craig C., Sorensen, Douglas M., Downey, Timothy J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Case studies
Development and progression
Ear Canal
Ear Diseases - diagnosis
Ear Diseases - pathology
Ear Diseases - surgery
Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology
Hamartoma - diagnosis
Hamartoma - pathology
Hamartoma - surgery
Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics
Hearing loss
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Physiological aspects
Sebaceous glands
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
Surgery of the ear, the auditive nerve and the facial nerve
Tumors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We report the case of a patient who came to us for evaluation of a progressive unilateral hearing loss and who was found to have a sebaceous nevus in an unusual location: the external auditory canal. A sebaceous nevus is a congenital organoid mass that occurs primarily on the face, scalp, and periauricular regions. Despite the predilection of sebaceous nevi for the head and neck, reports of this lesion rarely appear in the otolaryngology literature. Left untreated, the lesion can progress through three stages of gross and histopathologic development; a sebaceous nevus begins as a small benign papule, grows into an enlarging mass with different characteristics, and ultimately becomes a secondary neoplasm. The lesion's potential for malignant transformation and its association with syndromes underscores the importance of prompt recognition and appropriate management. This case report adds the sebaceous nevus to the differential diagnosis of external auditory canal lesions and provides essential information about this rare mass.
ISSN:0145-5613
1942-7522
DOI:10.1177/014556130308200112