Learn About Aural Polyps
An aural polyp is a growth in the outside (external) ear canal or middle ear. It may be attached to the eardrum (tympanic membrane), or it may grow from the middle ear space.
Otic polyp
Aural polyps may be caused by:
- Cholesteatoma
- Foreign object in the ear
- Inflammation of the ear canal or middle ear
- Tumor of the ear canal or middle ear
Bloody drainage from the ear is the most common symptom. Hearing loss can also occur.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Your health care provider may first recommend:
- Avoiding water in the ear
- Steroid medicines
- Antibiotic ear drops
If a cholesteatoma is the underlying problem or the condition fails to clear, then surgery may be needed.
Indiana University Health Southern Indiana Physicians LLC
Joseph Sarpa is an Otolaryngologist in Bloomington, Indiana. Dr. Sarpa is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Aural Polyps. His top areas of expertise are Renal Oncocytoma, Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP), Acinic Cell Carcinoma of Salivary Glands, and Salivary Gland Tumors. Dr. Sarpa is currently accepting new patients.
Advanced ENT & Allergy
Philip Rowan is an Otolaryngologist in Woodbury, New Jersey. Dr. Rowan is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Aural Polyps. His top areas of expertise are Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, Ruptured Eardrum, Infant Hearing Loss, and Vertigo.
Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists Of NWPA
Sidney Lipman is an Otolaryngologist in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lipman is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Aural Polyps. His top areas of expertise are Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, Ruptured Eardrum, Allergic Rhinitis, Tissue Biopsy, and Gastrostomy.
Contact your health care provider if you have severe pain, bleeding from an ear or a sharp decrease in hearing.
Published Date: May 02, 2024
Published By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Chi DH, Tobey A. Otolaryngology. In: Zitelli, BJ, McIntire SC, Nowalk AJ, Garrison J, eds. Zitelli and Davis' Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 24.
Chole RA, Sharon JD. Chronic otitis media, mastoiditis, and petrositis. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 140.
McHugh JB. Ear. In: Goldblum JR, Lamps LW, McKenney JK, Myers JL, eds. Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 7.