Patient's question:
The ears have a particularly prone time to recurrence, and they will flare up and fluctuate repeatedly. The doctor said it's congenital preauricular fistula. What are the hazards of congenital preauricular fistula?Doctor's answer:
Congenital preauricular fistula: When lightly pressed, a small amount of thin, viscous mucus or creamy, sebum-like material may ooze from the fistula orifice, causing local itching and discomfort. It is easily transmitted; once it spreads, it can lead to redness, swelling, and pain, which may recur repeatedly. Congenital preauricular fistula is a common otological disease. It is caused by the poor fusion of small, papillary nodules formed by the second and third pharyngeal arches during embryonic development or incomplete separation of the second pharyngeal groove. The fistula is a blind, branched, and tortuous tube with its external orifice usually located anterior and superior to the helix crus. The lumen is lined with stratified squamous epithelium, and the squames within the lumen occasionally push out, causing a small amount of viscous, sebaceous gland-like material to ooze from the fistula orifice.