Schwannoma in the External Auditory Canal

A cutaneous sensory nerve schwannoma occluding the external auditory canal

Schwannomas are benign tumours derived from Schwann cells of the peripheral nerve sheaths. A schwannoma arising in the external auditory canal (EAC) is rare, with few cases reported in the literature. These tumours present a unique challenge and should be considered when patients present with persistent ear symptoms in the absence of common otological pathology. We present a case of a man in his late 60s, referred to the otolaryngology team with unilateral conductive hearing loss and a right-sided EAC mass found on otoscopy. CT and MRI of the head and neck revealed a mass occluding the right EAC, originating from a peripheral cutaneous nerve. Management including biopsy, histopathological analysis and surgical excision in its entirety resulted in a good outcome, leaving a symptom-free patient.

Traumatic Neuroma in the External Auditory Canal

Traumatic neuroma is the reparative proliferation of axons and Schwann cells at the proximal end of a severed nerve following injury or surgery. Traumatic neuromas with or without clinical symptoms have rarely been reported in the external auditory canal. A 50-year-old woman with a history of trauma visited our otorhinolaryngology clinic with a 7 × 5-mm mass localized on the anterior wall of the external auditory canal. The mass was easily removed via surgical excision and was histopathologically diagnosed as a neuroma. No signs of recurrence were observed after excision. Herein, the authors present this case, along with a review of the literature.