Othematoma Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Othematoma is a disorder of the earlobe which is characterized by the presence of a collection of blood in the earlobe called the perichondrium.
Anatomically, the auricle is formed from cartilage covered by soft tissue and skin.
The flexible shape of the auricle does make it more susceptible to injury. An injury to the earlobe can cause blood to accumulate in the gap between the cartilage and the skin.
This condition causes othematoma. Medically, sometimes othematoma is also known as auricular hematoma.
If an auricular hematoma is not treated immediately, over time it can cause complications in the form of perichondritis, namely inflammation of the perichondrium (the soft tissue that covers the cartilage of the earlobe).
Othematoma
| Medical specialist | ENT Specialist |
| Symptom | Swollen ears, changing color to bluish-red, painful |
| risk factor | Collision-prone activities such as contact sports, motor vehicle accidents |
| How to diagnose | Immediate examination by a doctor |
| Treatment | Incision and drainage action to remove a collection of blood |
| Drug | Drugs cannot remove blood pools in othematomas |
| Complications | Cauliflower ear, infection, scar tissue forming |
| When to see a doctor? | If there are ear complaints after an ear collision |
Symptom
The main symptoms of othematoma are changes in the earlobe, such as swelling, red or bluish color, warm or hot to the touch, and pain.
These complaints generally appear a few minutes to several hours after the injury/trauma to the earlobe occurs.
In addition, you can also see blood dripping from the earlobe, although this doesn’t happen often.
If left too long, othematoma can cause complications in the form of perichondritis.
If perichondritis occurs, the shape of the earlobe will be similar to that of an othematoma, namely the earlobe looks swollen, red, painful, and warm to the touch.
It’s just that, in the condition of perichondritis, it’s not just blood that accumulates in the earlobes, but also pus. Sometimes, pus can also be seen dripping out of the earlobe.
If perichondritis is also not treated immediately, there will be permanent changes in the structure of the earlobe. The auricles will appear to droop and fold like a cauliflower ear.
Reason
In principle, the cause of othematoma is injury to the auricle. The triggers for these injuries can be of various kinds.
The most common are motor vehicle accidents and sports injuries, such as boxing, wrestling, and other sports that involve heavy physical contact.
In addition, improper placement of earrings can also trigger othematoma.
Risk Factors
Those who do activities with a risk of trauma to the ear will be more likely to get othematoma. For example, hobbies contact sports activities.
Diagnosis
Confirming the presence of othematoma is not difficult. The diagnosis can be made either by a general practitioner or by an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT).
The doctor will conduct a thorough interview. Information needs to be collected especially regarding any recent injury to the ear and the mechanism of injury.
The doctor will also do a more detailed examination, especially in the ear area. In othematoma, the earlobe looks red, swollen, and painful.
If you touch it, the earlobe will feel warmer than the skin around it.
Generally, no additional examination is needed to confirm the presence of othematoma.
However, if the doctor suspects that there is a blood clotting disorder that worsens the othematoma, blood tests in the form of platelet examination, bleeding time, clotting time, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and prothrombin time (PT) can be done.
If complications are suspected to the ear bones or the middle and inner ear, an X-ray examination of the ear can also be done to confirm this.
Treatment
Othematoma should be treated in less than seven days. The main treatment is to remove the blood from the earlobe.
This action is medically referred to as incision and drainage, which is the act of making a small incision in the earlobe to drain blood out of the earlobe.
After the blood comes out completely, do the dressing and pressure with gauze and plaster.
So, if the othematoma has occurred for more than seven days, the treatment is no longer with incision and drainage.
In general, debridement is required, which is a kind of operation that aims to clean the dead and dirty tissues in the earlobe.
Prevention
To prevent othematoma, as much as possible avoid injury to the earlobe.
Use head and ear protection if you are going to do sports with heavy physical contact.
Complications
If not treated properly and immediately, some of the possible complications of othematoma include:
- Infection
- Pain, pricking or burning sensation in the ear ( paresthesia )
- Scar tissue forms
- If left untreated, it has the potential to cause an ear deformity known as cauliflower ear, which is an abnormal lump that forms from the soft tissue on the earlobe
When to See a Doctor?
Because othematoma treatment should be done as soon as possible, don’t hesitate to see a doctor if there are changes in the ear that appear after there is an impact on the ear.