Superglue ear: our experience and a review of the literature

Cyanoacrylate glue (Superglue) has the ability to bond a variety of surfaces firmly within seconds of use. Its application into the external ear canal (EAC) is a challenging problem for clinicians. We present 3 case reports of patients who presented at our hospital with superglue in their EACs: 1 was accidental, 1 was iatrogenic, and 1 was intentional. To our knowledge, iatrogenic application of cyanoacrylate glue to the EAC has not been reported previously. We describe our management of these cases and review similar cases reported in the literature. These cases highlight the pressing need for changes in the size, shape and colour of the containers to make them more easily recognizable and distinctive.