Int. Adv. Otol. 2009; 5(3); 399-400

Juvenile xanthogranuloma of the external auditory canal in adult
Dong-Hee Lee,  Joohwan Kim

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, Uijeongbu City,
Gyeonggi-Do, Korea, leedh0814@catholic.ac.kr

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is the most common non-Langerhans histiocytosis caused by the proliferation of histiocytes.
These histiocytes, usually lipid-laden non-Langerhans cells, form multiple yellow-red nodules that are most often found in the
skin, the eye, and sometimes in the viscera. It is predominantly a disease of infancy or early childhood, although adults may
rarely be affected. In contrast to JXG, adult JXG need excisional procedures when considering its rare spontaneous regression.
Herein, we report on an exceptional case of juvenile xanthogranuloma in a 43-year-old man who presented with a sensation
of fullness and hearing impairment on his left ear. A peduncular soft tissue mass originated from the posterior portion of
left cartilaginous external auditory canal. Under local infiltrative anesthesia, the mass was removed by simple excision.
Histologically, the lesion was predominantly composed of a compact mononuclear cellular infiltrate with associated multinucleated
giant cells of the Touton type, and these findings were compatible for juvenile xanthogranuloma.