Spontaneous external auditory canal cholesteatoma complicated by rheumatoid arthritis--case report and review of the literature.

A 63-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis sought medical assistance for dull and chronic pain in her left ear two and half years after her initial diagnostic examination. Otoscopic examination revealed that the posteroinferior wall of the bony external ear canal was eroded and that the small cavity was filled with squamous debris. The condition was diagnosed as external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC). The existence of EACC might suggest complications of bone disease, aging cerumen gland, or a low migratory rate of the epithelium.