PRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 99 No. 2 February 2006
Removal of Superglue (Cyanoacrylate) from the
Ear Using Acetone
Yuki Wasano
(Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital)
Taro Sugimoto and Ken Kitamura
(Tokyo Medical and Dental Universiy)
Hirofumi Maehara
(Nakano Sogo Hospital)
The ability of superglue (cyanoacrylate) to bond instantly and strongly to skin presents special problems when inserted into the external auditory canal. We present a 9-month-old baby with superglue as a foreign body in her left ear. The superglue was successfully removed with acetone to debond it from the skin. The procedure was performed under local anesthesia without damaging either the meatal skin or tympanic membrane.
A literature review of similar cases is included.
Key words : cyanoacrylate, acetone, external auditory canal, foreign body