Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with ear canal separation and facial nerve damage
By Smeak, D D·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1997·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Traumatic separation of the annular cartilage from the external auditory meatus in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old cat was brought to the vet because she wasn't eating and had discharge from her ear for a week. The vet noticed she had a head tilt and weakness in her face, and an examination revealed a problem with her left ear canal. Surgery showed that the cartilage in her ear had separated, so the vet performed a total ear canal ablation (removal of the ear canal). Thankfully, there were no complications, and her facial nerve function returned to normal six weeks after the surgery.
People also search for: cat ear discharge · cat head tilt treatment · cat surgery recovery time · why is my cat not eating · cat facial nerve problems
Abstract
A 13-year-old cat was evaluated because of anorexia and otic discharge of 1 week's duration. A left head tilt and left facial nerve deficit were evident. Pink fleshy tissue was seen in the area where the tympanic membrane was expected during otoscopic examination. The left ear canal was laterally displaced from the skull on a rostrocaudal (open mouth) radiographic view, suggesting ear canal separation. During surgery, the annular cartilage was found to be separated from the external auditory meatus, and total ear canal ablation was performed. Complications did not develop, and facial nerve function returned 6 weeks after surgery. In previous reports, traumatic ear canal separation was diagnosed after trapped otic secretions formed abscesses or para-aural fistulas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9267506/