Unusual Presentation of an Aural Foreign Body in an Adult

Abstract

Aural foreign body is a common entity in the ENT practice. An astonishing variety of materials have been reported as offending foreign bodies. The commonest articles found in the adults include cockroaches, cotton tips and ear plugs. Often, particularly in adults, the inaccessibility of the deep-seated foreign body inside the ear canal makes the self removal impossible and patient seeks medical advice. In the present article, an unusual case of aural foreign body has been reported where a gauze-piece got anchored to the handle of malleus through a pre-existing central perforation of the eardrum and the successful removal was possible only by operative procedure under microscope.