Lend Me Your Ears … for a Review of Anatomy, Development, and Pathology of the External Ear

The external ear can be divided into the pinna and the external auditory canal. Although many conditions that affect the pinna are readily identifiable on clinical examination, radiologists add further value to patient care through imaging evaluation of the external auditory canal and adjacent structures. Thus, an understanding of the external ear will help us to provide meaningful reports for our referring clinicians. This review covers the anatomy and development of the pinna and the external auditory canal, as well as imaging appearances of common pathologies of the external ear.

Learning Objective: Review the anatomy, development, and pathology of the external ear by using both original illustrations and cross-sectional imaging.