Vol.97 No.9 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 97 No.9 September 2004
A Case of Relapsing Polychondritis First Presenting
Perichondritis of Unilateral Auricle
Masaki Hayashi and Masaru Kunimoto
(Kishiwada Tokusyukai Hospital)
Noboru Yamanaka
(Wakayama Medical University)
We report a case of relapsing polychondritis (RP) in a 32-year-old woman who first presented with a painful swelling of the right auricle. She also had arthritis of the elbows and a history of swelling in the apex nasi. Her auricular swelling was not improved by antibiotic therapy, however, injections of methylprednisolone significantly reduced her symptoms. Using Damiani's diagnostic criteria, we made an early diagnosis of this case. The auricular chondritis remarkably improved following the steroid therapy. The reduction of prednisolone brought about conjunctivitis in her bilateral eyes. Bilateral auricular chondritis is generally considered a major diagnostic sign of RP, however, we should remember that unilateral auricular chondritis can be an important sign of RP.
Key words : relapsing polychondritis, Damiani's diagnostic criteria