{
  "abstract": "This study sought to characterize the clinical features of external auditory canal (EAC) foreign bodies (FBs) in pediatric patients and identify safe and effective removal strategies. A retrospective cohort study was performed on 678 children with EAC FBs who presented to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Shenzhen Children’s Hospital between January 2022 and December 2025. Demographic data, FB types, affected ear laterality, clinical symptoms, duration of impaction, removal modalities, complications, and clinical outcomes were extracted and analyzed from medical records. The cohort comprised 437 males (64.45%) and 241 females (35.55%), with children under 8 years old accounting for 73.45% of cases. The right ear was most commonly affected (57.82%), followed by the left ear (36.73%) and bilateral ears (5.46%). Stones/sand (25.22%) and beads (23.30%) were the most prevalent FB types. Most patients (83.78%) sought medical attention within 1 day of impaction. In 635 cases (93.66%), FBs were removed by the self-made irrigator in the otolaryngology department; in 19 cases (2.80%), they were removed by McClintock forceps or gun-shaped tweezers under otoscope; while in 24 cases (3.54%), removal was performed under general anesthesia (GA). Complications included EAC abrasion (44, 6.49%), tympanic membrane injury (15, 2.21%), and tympanic membrane perforation (10, 1.47%). The self-made irrigator achieved high removal success within our selected cooperative pediatric cohort and represents a safe, efficient tool associated with lower observed charges in this cohort, with clinical practical value under appropriate patient selection. Otoscopic removal under GA is a necessary alternative for uncooperative pediatric patients with EAC FBs.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhijuan Ling"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ping Xiao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lihua Ye"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hongguang Pan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Guo Xu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9281-2513"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kw0xnh8qmqz1.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1097/md.0000000000051320",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727257/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "8kw0xnh8qmqz1",
  "issns": [
    "0304-5412",
    "1536-5964",
    "0025-7974"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727257",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "6000"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Observational Study"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727257/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727257",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Wolters Kluwer Health",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kw0xnh8qmqz1.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T15:20:51Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727257",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727257"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:23:22Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727257",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000051320"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Clinical features of external auditory canal foreign bodies in children : A retrospective analysis of 678 cases",
  "title_text": "Clinical features of external auditory canal foreign bodies in children : A retrospective analysis of 678 cases",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T12:22:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kw0xnh8qmqz1",
  "venue": "Medicine",
  "versions": []
}