Malignant otitis externa

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Ear anatomy

Osteomyelitis of the skull; Otitis externa - malignant

• Drainage from the ear - yellow, yellow-green, foul smelling, persistent
• Ear pain - felt deep inside the ear and may get worse when moving head
• Hearing loss
• Itching of the ear or ear canal
• Fever
• Trouble swallowing
• Weakness in the face
• Voice loss

A doctor will look into your ear for signs of an outer ear infection (otitis externa). The head around and behind the ear may be tender to touch. A nervous system (neurological) examination may show that the cranial nerves are affected.

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If there is any drainage, the doctor may send it to the lab for a culture. The purpose of the culture is to look for bacteria or fungi, usually the bacteria Pseudomonas.

To look for signs of a bone infection next to the ear canal, the following tests may be performed:

• CT scan of the head
• MRI scan of the head
• Radionuclide scan

Review Date: 08/03/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).