Surfer's Ear: External Auditory Exostoses are More Prevalent in Cold Water Surfers

OBJECTIVE: The study goal was to demonstrate the prevalence and severity of external auditory exostoses (EAEs) in a population of surfers and to examine the relationship between these lesions and the length of time surfed as well as water temperature in which the swimmers surfed. It was hypothesized that subjects who predominantly surfed in colder waters had more frequent and more severe exostoses. METHODS: Two hundred two avid surfers (91% male and 9% female, median age 17 years) were included in the study. EAEs were graded based on the extent of external auditory canal patency; grades of normal (100% patency), mild (66% to 99% patency), and moderate-severe (<66% patency) were assigned. Otoscopic findings were correlated with data collected via questionnaires…