Premium
External Auditory Canal Stenosis After Radiation Therapy
Author(s) -
Carls J. Lauren,
Mendenhall William M.,
Morris Chris G.,
Antonelli Patrick J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/00005537-200211000-00012
Subject(s) - auditory canal , radiation therapy , stenosis , medicine , audiology , radiology , anatomy
Objectives To determine whether the risk of external auditory canal stenosis from external‐beam radiation therapy is dose dependent. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods The presence of external auditory canal disease was recorded for patients who received low‐dose (e.g., lymphoma [20–40 Gy]), medium‐dose (e.g., chemodectoma [40–55 Gy]), or high‐dose (e.g., parotid and nasopharyngeal neoplasms [55–75 Gy]) external‐beam radiation therapy from 6 months to over 8 years following treatment. The incidence of external auditory canal disease was compared between groups. Results None of 13 low‐dose, none of 19 medium‐dose, and 8 of 91 (8.7%) high‐dose external‐beam radiation therapy subjects developed ipsilateral external auditory canal stenosis. No external auditory canal stenosis developed in patients treated with high‐dose external‐beam radiation therapy in the absence of parotid surgery. External auditory canal stenosis developed only in patients treated with parotidectomy and high‐dose external‐beam radiation therapy ( P = .0059), and all of these cases of external auditory canal stenosis developed within 3 years of radiation therapy. Conclusions High dose external‐beam radiation therapy alone does not significantly predispose patients to external auditory canal stenosis. However, combined high‐dose external‐beam radiation therapy and surgery around the external auditory canal do significantly increase the risk of external auditory canal stenosis.