Foreign Body - fly in ear

A 16-year-old female presents with concerns of fever and shortness of breath. During the exam, the following image of her right ear was obtained. The patient has a fly in her ear canal. After seeing the image, the physician inquired further. The patient explained that about a week ago she was lying in bed when she felt something in her ear. It was disturbing to her so she sought assistance from her Mom. Her Mom could not see anything in the ear. However, the mother did extensive manipulation of the outside ear which caused the movement sensation to stop. It’s likely that the manipulation crushed the fly. The physician removed the fly uneventfully with a curette. Her fever and respiratory symptoms were attributed to a viral illness. View some other examples of insects in the ear; ant, tick, spider.

WiscMed thanks Dr. Joao Mauricio Scarpellini for this interesting case. Dr. Scarpellini is a pediatrician in private practice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.