Malignant Otitis Externa: Case Series Retrospective Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess characteristics of MOE and the length of hospital stay for patients with MOE in relation to different factors, retrospectively.

Methods: This study included 20 patients who were diagnosed with Malignant Otitis Externa, and treated in the Otolaryngology department in between the years 2012 and 2019. Factors that were involved in our study are: Age, gender, causative organism, cranial nerve involvement, presence of osteomyelitis, comorbidities, diabetes, immunosuppression and the initial ESR level by the time of the diagnosis. 

Results: The study included 14 male patients and 6 female patients; the mean age of the participants was 77.9 years. In 70% of the cases, the organism isolated was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 85% of the patients were diabetic. The average length of hospital stay was 23.92 days for patients with HbA1C more than 42, compared to 15.5 days in patients with HbA1C less than 42. However, the difference was insignificant (P>0.05). The mean initial ESR for the sample was 51.36, patients with ESR more than the average had a longer average of hospital stay than the ones with ESR below the mean.

Conclusion: Malignant otitis externa is a serious condition that needs to be detected and treated as early as possible. It is more common in diabetic male patients, no statistical significance was detected between length of hospital stay and the HbA1C level or initial ESR level.

Author(s): Mahmoud Al Aaraj

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