Clinical features of external auditory canal foreign bodies in children : A retrospective analysis of 678 cases
- 1Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
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.
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BibTeX
@article{ling2026clinical,
title = {{Clinical features of external auditory canal foreign bodies in children : A retrospective analysis of 678 cases}},
author = {Zhijuan Ling and Ping Xiao and Lihua Ye and Hongguang Pan and Guo Xu},
journal = {Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000051320},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727257},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical features of external auditory canal foreign bodies in children : A retrospective analysis of 678 cases
AU - Zhijuan Ling
AU - Ping Xiao
AU - Lihua Ye
AU - Hongguang Pan
AU - Guo Xu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Medicine
DO - 10.1097/md.0000000000051320
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727257
AB - 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.
SN - 0304-5412
SN - 1536-5964
SN - 0025-7974
ER -