A case of polyvinyl alcohol in the external auditory meatus

Abstract

In their daily clinical practice, otolaryngologists often encounter patients with foreign bodies in the external auditory meatus. There foreign bodies in many of the reports involving adult patients include hair, the tips of cotton swabs, impression materials for hearing aids or insects (such as moths and cockroaches). In contrast, the foreign bodies in many of the reports on pediatric patients involve toys (such as beads and BBs), paper or erasers. In many pediatric cases, foreign bodies in the external auditory meatus must be removed under general anesthesia. We herein report the case of an 8-year-old boy with polyvinyl alcohol in the external auditory meatus, which was immediately removed under general anesthesia. When water is absorbed together with polyvinyl alcohol, the polyvinyl alcohol attaches to the adjacent tissue. Thus, it seems better to avoid performing irrigation when patients present with polyvinyl alcohol in the external auditory meatus.