Seed in Ear
A healthy 12-year-old who owns a pet parakeet arrives with concern for a foreign body sensation in his ear. He has no other complaints. The image is obtained with the WiscMed Wispr digital otoscope.
What is your diagnosis and treatment?
The patient has a bird seed in his external ear canal.
The patient’s pet parakeet was on his shoulder feeding. The bird decided it would be a good idea to store some seed for a rainy day. The external ear canal of the patient provided a convenient location.
Common foreign bodies in ear canals include ants, spiders, beads, hearing aid tips, earrings, tic-tacs, and pencil tips.
Removal of foreign bodies from the external ear canal can be challenging. More so in very young patients than in a cooperative 12-year-old. In this case, the nursing staff uneventfully removed the seed with water flushing. Other techniques for foreign body removal include the Katz extractor, forceps, suction, and “gluey surfaces.” In all cases, clear visualization and localization of the foreign body with the Wispr otoscope is helpful.
WiscMed thanks Dr. Daniel Lapidus of Pediatric Affiliates for this interesting case.
Here is the complete video exam:
Complete exam video
