Foreign body in the ear: a review of methods of management

Abstract

Early descriptionsof foreign body removal from Roman times include "An insectmust first be killed with vinegar and then removed with a probe; Thus foreign body in the Ear (FBE) could be described as any object other than wax or cerumen in the external auditory canal. There are isolated reports describing the removal of unusual foreign bodies from the ear. But no comprehensive reviews of this important subject have been published for many years.

A review of literature was conducted in June 2019 (from Jan 1977 to Dec 2018) with a search strategy aimed to identify articles describing aural foreign bodies' removal methods.The aim of the manuscript is to describe different method of removing foreign body in the ear and it includes a detailed discussion of the epidemiology, different types of aural foreign bodies, the clinical presentations, management options and complications associated with some aural foreign bodies.

Keywords: foreign body, ear, external auditory canal, management, complications