Open Access

RESIDENT’S CORNER

Bloody otorrhea after robotically assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy

Andrew Cohen¹, Rodrigo Ledezma-Rojas¹, Ernest Mhoon², Gregory Zagaja¹

1 Department of Urology, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
2 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Address correspondence to Dr. Andrew Cohen, Department of Urology, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 606037 USA

Canadian Journal of Urology 2015, 22(3), 7834-7835.

Abstract

Bilateral bloody otorrhea is a rare complication of surgery and to our knowledge a previously unpublished event. We review the case of a 50-year-old male who underwent robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) with bilateral lymphadenectomy for Gleason’s Score 4 + 4 = 8 prostate cancer. Bloody discharge from bilateral auditory canals was noted upon removal of the surgical drapes. Otolaryngologic examination revealed bilateral anterior auditory canal hematomas without any loss of hearing. Steep Trendelenburg position in combination with perioperative anticoagulants may have contributed to this complication. Given the rarity of this event no specific risk factors are identified.

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