CLINICAL AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF OTITIS EXTERNA AND OVERVIEW OF PROBLEMATIC CASES

Abstract

Otitis externa can sometimes present itself as a difficult clinical problem, in cases such as unsuccessful outcome of usual therapy, prolonged duration of symptoms or frequent recurrencies with local or systemic complications. In these cases more attention should be focused on possible errors made in establishing the right diagnosis, incorrect sequence of applying therapeutical measures, or presence of unrecognized problems, including individual patient factors, characteristics of the pathogen, or other. In this article we present a case report of a 84-year-old patient with complicated otitis externa, together with a short review of physiology, patophysiology, diagnostic and therapeutical measures in external otitis, and suggest a possible clinical approach in the management of problematic cases.