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Impacted cerumen

MedGen UID:
507837
•Concept ID:
C0021092
•
Finding
Synonym: Impacted wax
SNOMED CT: Impacted cerumen (18070006); Impacted wax (18070006)
 
HPO: HP:0030788

Definition

Blockage of the external auditory canal by a buildup of earwax. [from HPO]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVImpacted cerumen

Conditions with this feature

Exostosis of external ear canal
MedGen UID:
56363
•Concept ID:
C0155411
•
Disease or Syndrome
A benign bony growth projecting outward from a bone surface within the external auditory canal.
See: Condition Record
Exostosis of external ear canal

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Cerumen Impaction: Diagnosis and Management.
Michaudet C, Malaty J
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 15;98(8):525-529. PMID: 30277727
Impacted cerumen: composition, production, epidemiology and management.
Guest JF, Greener MJ, Robinson AC, Smith AF
QJM 2004 Aug;97(8):477-88. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hch082. PMID: 15256605
Clinical inquiries. What is the best treatment for impacted cerumen?
Wilson SA, Lopez R
J Fam Pract 2002 Feb;51(2):117. PMID: 11978207

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Essential Office Procedures for Medicare Patients in Primary Care: Comparison With Family Medicine Residency Training.
Poulin EA, Swartz AW, O'Grady JS, Kersten MPM, Angstman KB
Fam Med 2019 Jul;51(7):574-577. Epub 2019 May 21 doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2019.659478. PMID: 31125421
Cerumen Impaction: Diagnosis and Management.
Michaudet C, Malaty J
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 15;98(8):525-529. PMID: 30277727
Prevalence of preventable ear disorders in over 15,000 schoolchildren in northern India.
Chadha SK, Sayal A, Malhotra V, Agarwal AK
J Laryngol Otol 2013 Jan;127(1):28-32. Epub 2012 Dec 7 doi: 10.1017/S0022215112002691. PMID: 23218257
The hearing profile of Nigerian school children.
Olusanya BO, Okolo AA, Ijaduola GT
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2000 Oct 16;55(3):173-9. doi: 10.1016/s0165-5876(00)00393-1. PMID: 11035173
Cerumen impaction in the elderly.
Meador JA
J Gerontol Nurs 1995 Dec;21(12):43-5. doi: 10.3928/0098-9134-19951201-09. PMID: 8537620

Diagnosis

Cerumen Impaction: Diagnosis and Management.
Michaudet C, Malaty J
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 15;98(8):525-529. PMID: 30277727
Prevalence of preventable ear disorders in over 15,000 schoolchildren in northern India.
Chadha SK, Sayal A, Malhotra V, Agarwal AK
J Laryngol Otol 2013 Jan;127(1):28-32. Epub 2012 Dec 7 doi: 10.1017/S0022215112002691. PMID: 23218257
Ear diseases in elderly hospital patients in Nigeria.
Ologe FE, Segun-Busari S, Abdulraheem IS, Afolabi AO
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2005 Mar;60(3):404-6. doi: 10.1093/gerona/60.3.404. PMID: 15860483
The hearing profile of Nigerian school children.
Olusanya BO, Okolo AA, Ijaduola GT
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2000 Oct 16;55(3):173-9. doi: 10.1016/s0165-5876(00)00393-1. PMID: 11035173
Cerumen impaction. Prevalence and detection in nursing homes.
Mahoney DF
J Gerontol Nurs 1993 Apr;19(4):23-30. doi: 10.3928/0098-9134-19930401-06. PMID: 8473711

Therapy

Cerumenolytics with or without manual extraction for impacted earwax: A network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.
Sridharan K, Sivaramakrishnan G
Clin Otolaryngol 2021 May;46(3):464-473. Epub 2021 Jan 9 doi: 10.1111/coa.13692. PMID: 33326697
Cerumen Impaction: Diagnosis and Management.
Michaudet C, Malaty J
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 15;98(8):525-529. PMID: 30277727
Clinical inquiries. What is the best treatment for impacted cerumen?
Wilson SA, Lopez R
J Fam Pract 2002 Feb;51(2):117. PMID: 11978207
Auditory sensory/perceptual alteration: suggested revision of defining characteristics.
Janken JK, Cullinan CL
Nurs Diagn 1990 Oct-Dec;1(4):147-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-618x.1990.tb00432.x. PMID: 2291858
Treatment of impacted cerumen: clinical effectiveness of a new cerumenolytic.
BERGER M, BIKOFF HS
N Y State J Med 1959 May 1;59(9):1794-6. PMID: 13644641

Prognosis

Otolaryngology workforce analysis.
Hughes CA, McMenamin P, Mehta V, Pillsbury H, Kennedy D
Laryngoscope 2016 Dec;126 Suppl 9:S5-S11. Epub 2016 Aug 31 doi: 10.1002/lary.26238. PMID: 27576957
Removal of impacted cerumen in children using an aural irrigation system.
Propst EJ, George T, Janjua A, James A, Campisi P, Forte V
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2012 Dec;76(12):1840-3. Epub 2012 Oct 4 doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.09.014. PMID: 23040963
Ear diseases in elderly hospital patients in Nigeria.
Ologe FE, Segun-Busari S, Abdulraheem IS, Afolabi AO
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2005 Mar;60(3):404-6. doi: 10.1093/gerona/60.3.404. PMID: 15860483
Predictors of hearing loss in school entrants in a developing country.
Olusanya BO, Okolo AA, Aderemi AA
J Postgrad Med 2004 Jul-Sep;50(3):173-8; discussion 178-9. PMID: 15377800
Auditory sensory/perceptual alteration: suggested revision of defining characteristics.
Janken JK, Cullinan CL
Nurs Diagn 1990 Oct-Dec;1(4):147-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-618x.1990.tb00432.x. PMID: 2291858

Clinical prediction guides

Otolaryngology workforce analysis.
Hughes CA, McMenamin P, Mehta V, Pillsbury H, Kennedy D
Laryngoscope 2016 Dec;126 Suppl 9:S5-S11. Epub 2016 Aug 31 doi: 10.1002/lary.26238. PMID: 27576957
Predictors of hearing loss in school entrants in a developing country.
Olusanya BO, Okolo AA, Aderemi AA
J Postgrad Med 2004 Jul-Sep;50(3):173-8; discussion 178-9. PMID: 15377800
The hearing profile of Nigerian school children.
Olusanya BO, Okolo AA, Ijaduola GT
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2000 Oct 16;55(3):173-9. doi: 10.1016/s0165-5876(00)00393-1. PMID: 11035173
Auditory sensory/perceptual alteration: suggested revision of defining characteristics.
Janken JK, Cullinan CL
Nurs Diagn 1990 Oct-Dec;1(4):147-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-618x.1990.tb00432.x. PMID: 2291858
Impacted cerumen: a disorder of keratinocyte separation in the superficial external ear canal?
Robinson AC, Hawke M, Naiberg J
J Otolaryngol 1990 Apr;19(2):86-90. PMID: 1693406

Recent systematic reviews

Questioning the value of stalk drilling after external auditory canal osteoma excision: case series, literature review, and meta-analysis.
Argaman A, Oron Y, Handzel O, Abu-Eta R, Muhanna N, Halpern D, Ungar OJ
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2024 Jan;281(1):51-59. Epub 2023 Jun 19 doi: 10.1007/s00405-023-08074-x. PMID: 37335347
Cerumenolytics with or without manual extraction for impacted earwax: A network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.
Sridharan K, Sivaramakrishnan G
Clin Otolaryngol 2021 May;46(3):464-473. Epub 2021 Jan 9 doi: 10.1111/coa.13692. PMID: 33326697

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