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Pinna pain(perichondritis)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • 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

Reference:

  1. BMJ. 2001;322(7291):906-7.

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