OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to present the clinical data of 36 cases of heterotopic cartilaginous mass in the bony external auditory canal and to clarify the terminology used to describe this clinical entity.
STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a medical record review of 36 consecutive patients with lesions (26 of which were excised) seen at two Departments of Otolaryngology in Taiwan.
RESULTS: Histopathological examination revealed that all 26 excised lesions were composed of mature hyaline cartilage, and on this basis, cartilaginous choristoma was diagnosed.
CONCLUSION: The presence of a heterotopic cartilaginous mass in the bony external ear canal is not as rare as it was once thought to be. The descriptive term “cartilaginous choristoma” rather than “chondroma” may be more appropriate for these lesions.
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