Addressing the Misnomer...

Dear Rakesh,Signseeker and Swati,
First and foremost,Thank you very much for a prompt and involved response.Indeed MALIGNANT is a misnomer...probably it reflects the high incidence of mortality attendant with the condition in the pre antobiotic era.bu8t better antibiotics the incidence has come down from 20% to 01%.It is also called as NECROTIZING OTITIS EXTERNA because it is known to cause bone destruction.
The disease is classically known to spread along the floor of EAC and involve the cranial nerves.The first nerve to be affected is the 7th Cranial Nerve.Later on, the lower nerves are affected.... 9th,10th,11th and 12th.So one needs to look out for any cranial nerve palsy which implies an aggravation of the disease. In fact the cause of mortality is usually intracranial complication/s and aspiration pneumonitis.