Cochlear Implant-Induced Contact Dermatitis

An 81-year-old man was admitted to our clinic on being referred to us by the department of otorhinolaryngology. He presented with erythematous ulcerated lesions on the back and top of his right ear. During examination, the patient denied having a history of atopy. He reported that the outside component of the cochlear implant, which contained a magnet, had shifted from its original position on the upper right part of his head to just over his ear. Our report may suggest that the incidence of irritant contact dermatitis to manganese could be higher than that we could extrapolate from literature. Owing to the high prevalence of manganese in medical devices, we hope that our experience would help the future detection and prompt diagnosis of irritant contact dermatitis caused by this metal.