About the disease

Meatal exostosis is an ear condition, known as “surfer`s ear”. This condition characterizes the abnormal growth of the bone in the ear canal. There is a similar condition, known as ”swimmer's ear”, whereby the ear canal becomes inflamed as a result of an infection. As a result of the infection in “swimmer's ear”, the ear canal may swell and the person will feel acute ear pain. “Surfers’ ear” is not the same as “swimmer's ear”, although the second condition can be the result of the first one.

Meatal exostosis  usually develops as a result of continuous exposure of the ear to the cold wind, which is often the case with surfers that surf even in the cold temperatures. As a result of irritation which develops after contact of ear canal with the cold wind and water, lumps, which indicate new bone growth, start to develop in the ear canal. These lumps begin to actually restrict the ear canal creating difficulties for normal functioning of the ear canal and hearing itself.

As the ear canal is blocked by the water and the wind, water and wax which start to accumulate in the ear cause an infection and the ear can become inflamed leading to the development of “surfer's” ear”. The wax, which is naturally responsible for protecting the ear from different infections and also for gathering all the bad chemicals that get into the ear, starts to provoke the infection because it can not leave the ear and allow for the new wax to form.

Surfers which surf in the warm temperatures can develop meatal exostosis as well, because when surfing, the contact with the cooled wind and water is also great. Other sports that involve sailing in the wind, such as simple sailing or windsurfing, can lead the development of meatal exostosis as well. It is important to follow the safety rules while being in water and exposed to the wind in order to prevent development of an infection and preserve hearing.

Symptoms

• Plugging sensation in the ear
• Difficulty extracting water or wax from the ear
• Pain in the ear
• Swelling
• Redness in some cases
• Temporary hearing decrease which disappears when the ear canal is treated

Diagnosis

• During a general examination, the doctor will examine the ear canal and determine if it is swollen. The doctor will determine if there is collection of wax and water which could be causing hearing problems.
• The doctor will ask the person about his/her usual activities to determine if infection was indeed caused by the exposure to the water and wind.
• The doctor will check the hearing of the person to determine if there is decrease and also its extent.
• An audiogram is used in some cases to measure the hearing by sending the sounds into the ear and determining if the ear hears them in a different volume.
• An X-ray or CT scan of an ear canal can be used in some cases to check the ear canal and determine if water and wax blocks it. It can also determine if there are lumps or bones which grew as a result of meatal exostosis and which could be causing hearing impairment. 

Treatment

• Surgical resection is used to remove the bone or the lump in the ear canal which is causing the obstruction.
• After the surgery the patient will need to refrain from contact of the ear with water or cold wind for several weeks to several months depending on the severity of meatal exostosis in order to prevent recurrent infection and new growth of bone.

Authors: Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko