중이내 이어몰드 물질에 의한 만성 중이염 1예

Proper fitting of hearing aids by well-trained professionals rarely results in complication. Although the majority of patients who have ear canal impressions taken experience no adverse outcomes, patients with impacted earmold material within the middle ear after traumatic perforation of the tympanic membrane may present with diverse otologic complaints. In this article, we present an unusual complication after hearing aid fitting that required surgical management. A 64-year-old female who had undergone left hearing aid fitting 3 years before our evaluation was presented with left-sided otorrhea. She was identified that had encountered severe complications from improper earmold fitting that required surgical intervention. The earmold was successfully removed by means of a tympanomastoidectomy. Close cooperation between hearing aid dispensers and otolaryngologists may eliminate the rare instances of complications resulting from ear mold fitting. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2009;20:73-76)