Perichondritis

Perichondritis is inflammation of the perichondrium, the layer of connective tissue surrounding cartilage. Its common form, auricular perichondritis, involves infection of the pinna following a traumatic or surgical wound or the spread of nearby inflammation, usually caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and can badly deform the outer ear if not treated aggressively with intravenous antibiotics. A rarer form, laryngeal perichondritis, affects the cartilage of the larynx instead and can result in airway deformity or narrowing.