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Give ears some respite from regular microsuctioning in bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the external ear canal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2022

E Abelardo Open the ORCID record for E Abelardo [Opens in a new window]  and
M Jaramillo
E Abelardo*
Affiliation:
ENT – Head and Neck Surgery Department, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Carmarthen, Wales, UK
M Jaramillo
Affiliation:
ENT – Head and Neck Surgery Department, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Carmarthen, Wales, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Edgardo Abelardo, ENT-HNS Department, Glangwili General Hospital, CarmarthenSA31 2AF, Wales, UK E-mail: e.abelardo@swansea.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background

This paper reports a case series of three elderly patients who were regularly attending ENT clinic every four to six weeks for ear canal care to address chronic otitis externa. All three patients had been taking bisphosphonate alendronic acid for years, and it is suspected that this drug was partly to blame for the progression of their chronic ear conditions.

Results

Some improvements were noted when the bisphosphonate was discontinued. The regular microsuctioning, and application of topical antibiotics with steroids, provided temporary relief of symptoms. The present pandemic shut down the routine clinic and the patients were not seen for four to five months. On latest review, it was a surprise to see that their ears seemed to have significantly improved, with healthy re-epithelialisation.

Conclusion

It is thus believed that excessive and repeated microsuctioning in bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of that external ear canal can delay re-epithelialisation, and gradually prolonging the intervals between microsuctioning could help in overall resolution of the disease.

Keywords

BisphosphonateOsteonecrosisAlendronateOsteomyelitisExternal EarRe-Epithelialization
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 136 , Issue 10 , October 2022 , pp. 1002 - 1004
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Mr E Abelardo takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

Presented as poster at the British Academic Conference of Otolaryngology 2018 International Conference, 4–6 July 2018, Manchester, UK.

References

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