Hidradenoma papilliferum of the external auditory canal. Case report

Abstract

IntroductionHidradenoma papilliferum, also known as papillary hidradenoma, is a rare tumor of the sudoral glands, that occurs almost exclusively in women, on the vulvar and perineal region. Non-genital papillary hydradenoma is an even more rare occurrence, though some cases have been described in literature.This is a report of a 56 years old patient who presented with unilateral hearing loss secondary to a mass of the external auditory canal (EAC). A biopsy allowed us to make the diagnosis of a papillary hidradenoma of the EAC. The treatment was based on surgery; the tumor was removed while respecting the adjacent structures. Follow-up of the patient shows no actual recurrence.ConclusionEctopic Hidradenoma papilliferum located in the EAC is a rare occurrence, and should be considered as a possible diagnosis when investigating a mass of the EAC.

A Rare Case of Ectopic Hidradenoma Papilliferum of the External Auditory Canal

“…Reports of ectopic HP are exceedingly rare but have been identified in areas containing modified apocrine gland structures, most commonly on the head and neck, and have included ceruminous glands of the external ear canal, the Moll glands of the eyelid, mammary glands of the breast, maxillofacial region and areas on the scalp [2][3][4][5]. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one case of ectopic HP located on the external ear canal reported in English literature [3]. We present a second case of draining ectopic HP located on the conchal bowl of the external ear canal.…”