A case of a cholesterol granuloma occluding the external auditory canal in a 12-year-old girl

Cholesterol granulomas are benign granulomatous lesions caused by tissue reaction to a foreign body such as cholesterol crystals. These crystals have been are associated with pathological conditions of pneumatized spaces, including those causing inadequate aeration, obstruction of drainage, and hemorrhage in pneumatized spaces, and where materials trapping materials, such as hemosiderin or cholesterol become trapped, and then forming a cholesterol granuloma. Cholesterol granulomas are frequently found in the temporal bones, with the middle ear, mastoid caverna, and petrous apex being the most commonly affected sites. As there have been few reported cases of cholesterol granulomas presenting as a mass in the external acoustic canal (EAC), a cholesterol granuloma occluding the entire EAC in a pediatric patient is considered quite rare. We encountered a large cholesterol granuloma occupying the entire EAC, resulting in total EAC occlusion in a 12-year-old girl. The granuloma was diagnosed via medical imaging and surgically excised.