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Q16.1: Congenital absence, atresia and stricture of auditory canal (external)

You have a congenital malformation of the external auditory canal.

The ear is a sensory organ that is used to hear and to maintain one’s balance. There are 3 different areas in the ear: the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. The outer ear begins at the auricle and then becomes the external auricular canal. The end of the external auricular canal is sealed by a thin membrane. This membrane is known as the eardrum.

While developing in the womb, many different types of tissue develop in the body. The organs and body parts develop out of the various types of tissue. A child’s development in the womb being disrupted can cause malformations,

causing the outer auditory canal to be missing or have an altered shape. This means, for example, that the external auditory canal may be too narrow or completely closed. Ear deformities can lead to poorer hearing with the affected ear or no hearing at all.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).