Otitis Externa
An Essential Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment

The investigation and management of ear disease occupies a significant portion of a veterinary clinician?s time. Otitis externa, in particular, is likely to be seen by a busy small animal clinician at least once a day. Otitis Externa: An Essential Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment provides a comprehensive source of information on the relevant structure, function, medical treatment, and surgery of the ear, from Otodectes cynotis to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The book details the salient points of diagnosis and treatment and includes more than 200 colour illustrations.

Topics include:

• The anatomic relationship of the components of the external, middle, and inner ear and normal ear function
• Diagnosis of otitis externa, including history, examination, biopsy, and imagin
• The aetiology and pathogenesis of otitis externa
• Proper ear cleaning and assessing the integrity of the tympanum, the discharge, and the canal
• Medical management of ear disease and primary and secondary causes
• Clinical signs, diagnosis, and management of otitis media
• Ototoxicity and other side effects of otic medication
• Aural ablation and bulla osteotomy

Chronic, and chronic recurrent, otitis externa is frustrating and costly to the owner and often painful for the animal. Concise and user-friendly, this text helps clinicians identify signs of this condition, make an appropriate diagnosis, and plan the best treatment options.

The Normal Ear. Introduction. Pinna. External auditory meatus. Middle ear. Microscopic structure of the external ear canal. Microclimate of the external ear canal. Cerumen in normal and otitic ears. Approach to the Diagnosis of Otitis Externa. Introduction. Signalment. History. Physical examination. Otic examination. Otoscopic appearance of the external ear canal and tympanum. Cytological characteristics of normal and abnormal ears. Biopsy. Imaging. Aetiology and Pathogenesis of Otitis Externa. Concept of primary and secondary factors, predisposing factors, and perpetuating change. Primary causes of otitis externa. Secondary causes of otitis externa. Perpetuating factors. Ear Cleaning. Introduction. Assessing the integrity of the tympanum. Assessing the discharge. Assessing the canal. Cleaning process. Home cleaning. Medical Management of Ear Disease. Dealing with primary triggers. Dealing with secondary causes. Chronic or recurrent otitis externa in dogs. Otitis Media. Aetiology. Clinical signs. Major differential diagnoses. Diagnosis. Management. Treatment of nasopharyngeal polyps in cats. Prognosis. Ototoxicity and Other Side-Effects of Otic Medication. Introduction. Meatal and tympanic inflammation. Effects within the middle ear. Ototoxicity. Systemic effects of otic medication. Ototoxicity of systemic drugs. Summary. Aural Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy. Introduction. Presurgical investigations. Vertical canal ablation. Bulla osteotomy. Special problems relating to surgery of the middle ear in cats. References. Index.

Richard G. Harvey, BVSc DVD, Dip.ECVD, FSB, PhD, MRCVS
The Veterinary Centre, Cheylesmore, Coventry, UK

Sue Paterson, MA, VetMB, DVD, DipECVD, MRCVS, RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology
Rutland House Referral Hospital, St Helens, Merseyside, UK