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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006;132:692.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Diagnosis: Postinflammatory fibrosis of the EAC (medial canal fibrosis)

Postinflammatory fibrosis of the EAC is an acquired condition that is characterized by mature fibrotic tissue lateral to the tympanic membrane. It is twice as common in women as men, and 50% of the cases are bilateral.^1-2 A 20- to 40-dB conductive hearing loss, low-compliance tympanograms, and intermittent otorrhea are common symptoms at presentation.²

Postinflammatory fibrosis of the EAC is believed to represent the end stage of chronic otitis externa. Other potential risk factors include EAC trauma and prior otologic surgery¹; it can also occur as a complication of allergy or dermatitis.³ Tos and Bale⁴ described 4 basic subdivisions: posttraumatic, postoperative, neoplastic, and postinflammatory. There is thought to be an early (wet) stage and a late (dry) stage in this disease process.⁵ An active or wet stage occurs early in the course of the disease. Symptomatically, patients report otorrhea and otalgia. Edema of EAC skin can be accompanied by . . . [Full Text of this Article]