Re: Titanium implant concern after cholesteatoma

[Guest guest]

Judy,

This may be totally unrelated to your sons case, but a friend of mine has a daughter with contact dermatitis and terrible open sores. She brought her to University of Miami and they said they believe she keeps getting re-infected with Staph and ordered bleach baths every night. I think it is one cup in her bath water, not to get in her eyes and it totally cleared up. All these years no cream has helped her and this solved the problem.

I hope it is not a reaction to titanium and there is an easier answer.

Good luck,

Titanium implant concern after cholesteatoma

Hi,I am new to the website, but not to the "cholesteatoma" world. I am looking for information to help my 7 year old son who had an extensive congenital cholesteatoma removed when he was 5 years old. The surgery went well and one year ago he had his second surgery to check for regrowth and to implant a titanium prosthesis to conduct hearing. Unfortunately after the surgery, he got an itchy rash that progresses to open sores in random areas of his body that gets staph infection in. No medication or treatment has been able to resolve this rash for the past year and we are concerned that he may have a titanium allergy to the implant (although this is very rare). We have seen 6 dermatologists and infectious disease doctors and have seen his ear surgeon twice in trying to treat this and no one is able to identify it. We are currently seeing an expert pediatric dermatologist at Duke University and have an appointment to see an internationally known allergy expert. He has had blood tests, a nickel patch test, a skin biopsy, and a lymphocyte transformation test to metals. The skin biopsy is suggestive of chemical contact dermatitis and a lymphocyte transformation test showed slight reactivity to titanium. The doctors and surgeon are unsure if the titanium implant is the cause of the skin rash, but can not rule it out. I would very much like to rule out the possibility of his implant being related to this ongoing chronic skin rash. I have read published information on titanium allergy and know that it is possible. I am looking for more information from others who have had titanium ear implants and if your body has had reactions.For everyone who has been recently diagnosed, Do your research and don't just settle on any ENT to do the procedure!!! I would recommend that you find a surgeon who has done a fellowship and is a specialist in both otology and neurotology. Thank you - Judy

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the suggestion, but we have already tried this procedure for

one month and it didn't help. He has been on several antibiotics, oral

and topical steroids, and other creams and ointments. We are running

out of options, that is why I wanted to email this group and see if

anyone else has had skin problems after implant of a prosthesis? Thanks

for offering the idea!

nels4487@... wrote:

>

> Judy,

> This may be totally unrelated to your sons case, but a friend of mine

> has a daughter with contact dermatitis and terrible open sores. She

> brought her to University of Miami and they said they believe she

> keeps getting re-infected with Staph and ordered bleach baths every

> night. I think it is one cup in her bath water, not to get in her

> eyes and it totally cleared up. All these years no cream has helped

> her and this solved the problem.

> I hope it is not a reaction to titanium and there is an easier answer.

> Good luck,

>

>

> * Titanium implant concern after

> cholesteatoma

>

> Hi,

> I am new to the website, but not to the " cholesteatoma " world. I am

> looking for information to help my 7 year old son who had an

> extensive

> congenital cholesteatoma removed when he was 5 years old. The surgery

> went well and one year ago he had his second surgery to check for

> regrowth and to implant a titanium prosthesis to conduct hearing.

> Unfortunately after the surgery, he got an itchy rash that

> progresses to

> open sores in random areas of his body that gets staph infection

> in. No

> medication or treatment has been able to resolve this rash for the

> past

> year and we are concerned that he may have a titanium allergy to the

> implant (although this is very rare). We have seen 6

> dermatologists and

> infectious disease doctors and have seen his ear surgeon twice in

> trying

> to treat this and no one is able to identify it. We are currently

> seeing an expert pediatric dermatologist at Duke University and

> have an

> appointment to see an internationally known allergy expert. He has

> had

> blood tests, a nickel patch test, a skin biopsy, and a lymphocyte

> transformation test to metals. The skin biopsy is suggestive of

> chemical contact dermatitis and a lymphocyte transformation test

> showed

> slight reactivity to titanium. The doctors and surgeon are unsure if

> the titanium implant is the cause of the skin rash, but can not

> rule it

> out. I would very much like to rule out the possibility of his

> implant

> being related to this ongoing chronic skin rash. I have read

> published

> information on titanium allergy and know that it is possible. I am

> looking for more information from others who have had titanium ear

> implants and if your body has had reactions.

>

> For everyone who has been recently diagnosed, Do your research and

> don't just settle on any ENT to do the procedure!!! I would recommend

> that you find a surgeon who has done a fellowship and is a

> specialist in

> both otology and neurotology.

>

> Thank you - Judy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Judy,

I had my frist c-toma removal surgery end of last June, and since

September I am taking anti-biotics against perioral dermatitis (3

months of anti-biotics!). (My whole face was a rash). Now, before

reading your email, I just thought I was out of luck during 2007 :-)

I didn't get any implants yet, that's for next summer, and have to

say am not comfortable with the idea of anestesia now that I am

allergic to about everything (am on an anti-histamine diet).

Maybe the anestesia and the quantity of drugs prescribed during and

post op don't help rashes. My best bet (sorry, mainly my doctors)

would be sensitivity towards cortisone.... Has your son been

prescribed cortisone before his rashes?

Good luck,

Cris

> >

> > Judy,

> > This may be totally unrelated to your sons case, but a friend of

mine

> > has a daughter with contact dermatitis and terrible open sores.

She

> > brought her to University of Miami and they said they believe she

> > keeps getting re-infected with Staph and ordered bleach baths

every

> > night. I think it is one cup in her bath water, not to get in

her

> > eyes and it totally cleared up. All these years no cream has

helped

> > her and this solved the problem.

> > I hope it is not a reaction to titanium and there is an easier

answer.

> > Good luck,

> >

> >

> > * Titanium implant concern after

> > cholesteatoma

> >

> > Hi,

> > I am new to the website, but not to the " cholesteatoma "

world. I am

> > looking for information to help my 7 year old son who had an

> > extensive

> > congenital cholesteatoma removed when he was 5 years old. The

surgery

> > went well and one year ago he had his second surgery to check

for

> > regrowth and to implant a titanium prosthesis to conduct

hearing.

> > Unfortunately after the surgery, he got an itchy rash that

> > progresses to

> > open sores in random areas of his body that gets staph

infection

> > in. No

> > medication or treatment has been able to resolve this rash

for the

> > past

> > year and we are concerned that he may have a titanium allergy

to the

> > implant (although this is very rare). We have seen 6

> > dermatologists and

> > infectious disease doctors and have seen his ear surgeon

twice in

> > trying

> > to treat this and no one is able to identify it. We are

currently

> > seeing an expert pediatric dermatologist at Duke University

and

> > have an

> > appointment to see an internationally known allergy expert.

He has

> > had

> > blood tests, a nickel patch test, a skin biopsy, and a

lymphocyte

> > transformation test to metals. The skin biopsy is suggestive

of

> > chemical contact dermatitis and a lymphocyte transformation

test

> > showed

> > slight reactivity to titanium. The doctors and surgeon are

unsure if

> > the titanium implant is the cause of the skin rash, but can

not

> > rule it

> > out. I would very much like to rule out the possibility of his

> > implant

> > being related to this ongoing chronic skin rash. I have read

> > published

> > information on titanium allergy and know that it is possible.

I am

> > looking for more information from others who have had

titanium ear

> > implants and if your body has had reactions.

> >

> > For everyone who has been recently diagnosed, Do your

research and

> > don't just settle on any ENT to do the procedure!!! I would

recommend

> > that you find a surgeon who has done a fellowship and is a

> > specialist in

> > both otology and neurotology.

> >

> > Thank you - Judy

> >

> >

>