Perichondritis of the auricle: analysis of 114 cases.

BACKGROUND Perichondritis of the auricle is a serious disease that may lead to residual deformity. OBJECTIVES To assess our experience with perichondritis in a large group of patients hospitalized with this entity. METHODS We retrospectively studied 114 patients who were admitted with perichondritis during 1987-2004, including their demographic details, medical history, current illness, etiology, pathogens and treatments. RESULTS The patients' mean age was 41.8 +/- 20.7 years. In more than half of the patients the etiology could not be determined. Forty-seven patients (41%) were treated prior to hospitalization for an average of 2.5 +/- 1.9 days. Eight patients (7%) required surgical intervention. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be the predominant organism (69% of available isolates) and was associated with a more advanced clinical presentation and longer hospitalization (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS Perichondritis develops in many cases after apparent minor trauma. Since P. aeruginosa is probably the predominant pathogen, initial treatment should include anti-pseudomonal antibiotics.