Preauricular cysts, pits, fissures, and sinuses are benign congenital malformations of the preauricular soft tissues first described by Van Heusinger in 1864. Preauricular pits or fissures are located near the front of the ear and mark the entrance to a sinus tract that may travel under the skin near the ear cartilage. These tracts are lined with squamous epithelium and may sequester to produce epithelial-lined subcutaneous cysts or may become infected, leading to cellulitis or abscess. Pre-auricular tags are relatively common isolated congenital anomalies with a prevalence of about 5 per 1000 live births. Several associations with congenital anomalies like increased risk of congenital urinary tract and heart malformations in new-born’s have been reported in the literature. Infants with preauricular skin tags or ear pits are at increased risk for permanent hearing impairment. So, we studied a case where a 4 ½ year old male child brought by his parents for skin tags in front of both his ears showed normal left external ear with five preauricular skin tags and normal right external ear with two preauricular skin tags. Further evaluation was done with audiometry for acute otitis media with effusion in both his ears which revealed mild conductive hearing loss in both the ears. Pre-auricular fistulae and pre-auricular appendages do lie along the line of the first pharyngeal depression. In conclusion, Pre-auricular tags may be associated with certain syndromes which warrants complete audiological, urinary tract and heart examination in these subjects.
