An Unusual Case of Stubborn Petrified Pinna

Abstract

Petrified pinna is clinically characterized by an unbending rigid stone hard ear. Usually, the majority of the patients are asymptomatic but occasionally may experience pain from local pressure while sleeping. This uncommon condition is reported to be in association with local trauma, hypothermia, inflammation, and several life-threatening endocrine and systemic diseases. Awareness and knowledge to identify this entity is essential as it might be helpful in treating several systemic conditions and thus any untoward events.

Endocrine Petrified Ear: Associated Endocrine Conditions in Auricular Calcification/Ossification (A Sample-Focused Analysis)

“…Studies to address the identification of auricular calcifications/ossifications amid CT scans according to our methods [7,15]. Overall, the data coming from our sample-based analysis via isolated case reports (N = 49 subjects) showed that X-ray and/or CT confirmation was done in all cases (no differences were noted in imagery approaching the patients with an endocrine [1,6,18,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] versus non-endocrine [2,4,7,9,12,36,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]…”

“…Table 2. Sample-focused analysis on petrified ear in subjects apparently without any endocrine conditions (according to the original reports); the display starts with the most recent publication date [2,4,7,9,12,36,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. Abbreviations: B/U = bilateral or unilateral PE; C1, C2 = case 1 or 2 (patients from case series); CT = computed tomography; F = female; M = male; PE = petrified ear; P1, P2, or P3 = patient 1, 2, or 3 (patients from case series).…”

“…Petrified ear (alternatively, named stony hard ear, stubborn petrified pinna or rigid pinna), an exceptional entity, stands for the calcification and/or ossification of the auricular cartilage [1,2]. The first report was done in 1886 based on a necropsy study that was Diagnostics 2024, 14, 1303 2 of 37 performed by the anatomist Vincent Bochdalek [3] in a 65-year-old male [2][3][4], while some historical evidence from the Middle Age has also suggested this ailment [5].…”

Accessory tympanic plate ossicle: a new osteological entity

“…The outer ear consists of two components, the pinna and the oval-shaped EAM, both consisting of skin, perichondrium, and cartilage [ 8–10 ]. The auricular cartilage, a single plate of thin yellow fibrocartilage that fills the ear, is subject to a host of maladies that include hardening and inflexibility, a condition known as petrified ear [ 11 ], auricular ossificans and ectopic ossification [ 12 ], and petrified pinna [ 13 ]. Hardened auricles have been found to affect the mobile helix, antihelix, and anti-tragus [ 14 ], sometimes enabling the once flexible ear to be moved as a unit, without involving the lobule [ 12 ].…”

“…boxing or wrestling), radiation therapy for cancer [ 12 ], and more commonly from frostbite [ 16 , 17 ]. Hardened auricles are more commonly found in males and individuals over 60 years of age, and bilaterally [ 13 ]. Regardless of its aetiology, antiquity, or frequency, hardened auricular cartilage is a rare finding in the clinical literature and appears to be absent in the anthropological literature.…”