perichondritis may be a complicaton of ear piercing
"high" piercing, which requires puncture through the cartilage of the upper third of the pinna may cause auricular perichondritis
the subperiosteal abscess which may occur with perichondritis often leads to loss of cartilage and to an unsightly deformity known as "cauliflower ear," which has a poor chance of good reconstruction
the usual infective agent in auricular perichondritis is Pseudomonas aeruginosa
in the early phase of infection, treatment should focus on eradicating Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus
antipseudomonal agents such as oral ciprofloxacin or intravenous ticarcillin or carbenicillin are necessary. Ciprofloxacin also has good activity against S aureus
keep the patient under close observation
failure to respond to treatment requires admission as inpatient to an ear, nose, and throat department.Surgical intervention is required at the earliest sign of an abscess
lacerations of the pinna can progress to severe chondritis or perichondritis and so must be fully treated by suturing and antibiotics such as Penicillin plus Flucloxacillin, Co-amoxyclav or Erythromycin
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page