Yonsei Med J.  2009 Dec;50(6):845-847. 10.3349/ymj.2009.50.6.845.

A Case of Dysplastic Nevus of the External Auditory Canal Presenting with Conductive Hearing Loss

• Kim CW
• Oh SJ
• Rho YS
• Cho SJ
• Koh ES

• KMID: 1777101
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2009.50.6.845

Abstract

A nevus which is a benign melanocytic neoplasm rarely occurs within the external auditory canal (EAC). A dysplastic nevus presents atypical features both clinically and histologically, and is important as a potential precursor for melanoma. We present a case of a 33-year-old female patient with a dysplastic nevus in her EAC. Physical examination revealed a protruding mass arising from the posterior wall of the left cartilaginous EAC. The mass showed clinically characteristic findings of a melanocytic nevus. The patient underwent excisional biopsy via a transcanal approach under local anesthesia. Histopathological examination revealed an intradermal nevus with atypical melanocytes without pleomorphism. There was no evidence of recurrence two years after surgical excision.

Keyword

External auditory canal; dysplastic nevus; intradermal nevus; conductive hearing loss

MeSH Terms

Adult
Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome/*diagnosis/*pathology/surgery
Ear Canal/*pathology/surgery
Female
Hearing Loss, Conductive/*etiology/surgery
Humans
Treatment Outcome

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Endoscopic image reveals a dome-shaped papular mass arising from the left cartilaginous ear canal's posterior wall.

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  Fig. 2 Histopathologic findings of the mass showing nests of nevus cells in the dermis covered with normal skin (Hematoxylin-eosin, original magnification ×10).

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  Fig. 3 Histopathologic findings of the mass showing scattered clusters which were composed of round to oval shaped melanocytic cells (black arrow) (Hematoxylin-eosin, original magnification ×200).

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