Otology
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

Unit Eight: Foreign bodies

An assortment of common objects found in ear canals.

Candle Wax

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This a picture of candle wax in a child's ear canal. Candle wax is similar to cerumen since it is quite malleable and very soft at body temperature. It can be very difficult to remove.

Popcorn Kernel

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This is a picture of a popcorn kernel lodged well into a child's ear canal. It was put in by a sibling and pushed deeper during an attempt at removal. Large round objects are particularly difficult to remove. A special suction tip with a flexible rubber tip was used for the removal.

Q-tip Cotton


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This is a picture of the cotton of a Q-tip end as it was left behind in the patient's ear canal. This can be removed with alligator forceps.