Piercing associated perichondritis of the pinna: are we treating it correctly?

OBJECTIVE

This paper reports a series of patients with sporadic pinna perichondritis who presented to a district general hospital over a period of 10 years. The data examined included the causative organism, risk factors and pattern of antibiotic use.

METHOD

A retrospective analysis of diagnosed cases of pinna perichondritis from 2001 to 2012 was performed. A literature review of pinna perichondritis was carried out using Pubmed with the key words 'pinna perichondritis', 'pinna abscess', 'pinna infection' and 'piercing'.

RESULTS

Pinna perichondritis was more likely to result from chondral than lobe piercings. The majority of cases were caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

CONCLUSION

Most patients were not prescribed anti-pseudomonal antibiotics on presentation. This may result in persistent infection and long-term cosmetic defects.