Symptoms and signs
The foramen located on or in front of the extended branch of the helix can be asymptomatic, and sometimes white cheese-like liquid, including cell debris, is intermittently discharged from infancy or childhood. If there is secondary infection, the preauricular lymph nodes can fester and swell, and sometimes the fistula can form small granulomatous nodules.
Some families may have ear fistula and bronchial fistula at the same time, and some reports may have deafness at the same time.
The cervicoauricular fistula originating from the first mental arch is rare and can extend from the external auditory canal to the neck under the mandibular angle. Occasional pus discharge after infection can last until middle age, and may occasionally be accompanied by recurrent otitis media.
physiopathology
Ear fistula or preauricular fistula is caused by the failure to combine the first and second buccal arches well. The most common is on or in front of the extension line of the spiral. Most families have dominant inheritance and sometimes irregular inheritance, but it is reported that it is more common in men. Different members of the same family may have bilateral or unilateral ear fistula, and rare ear lobe fistula or tragus fistula is also inherited by autosomal dominant genes with different penetrance. The incidence of ear fistula is different in different races, and the British race is about 0.2%.
therapeutic regimen
If the inflammation is complicated, it should be surgically removed. It should be noted that the fistula can be as deep as 2 ~ 3 cm and must be completely removed.