Results of revision mastoidectomy

Successful canal wall down (CWD) mastoidectomy requires removal of all diseased air cells, lowering of the facial ridge to the mastoid segment of the facial nerve, complete removal of the lateral epitympanic wall, and amputation of the mastoid tip. Additionally, the inferior canal wall should be lowered to adequately expose the hypotympanum, which allows a smooth transition into the mastoid cavity. An adequate meatoplasty is also necessary. Closed supratubal recess should be opened, anulus and tympanic membrane remnant should be removed in CWD cases. Revision mastoidectomy has a high success rate in obtaining a dry and epithelialized ear.

This study reports revision mastoidectomy results and indicates factors that must receive attention in chronic otitis media surgery to produce less revision surgery.

Thirty-five patients who underwent revision mastoidectomy with or without cholesteatoma between 2005 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients who had revision mastoidectomy with previous intact canal wall (ICW) or CWD mastoidectomies were included in the study.

Patients were aged 32-69 years (mean 57.4). There were 22 female and 13 male patients. Revision mastoidectomies were applied to 14 previous ICW and 21 prior CWD mastoidectomies. Of the 35 patients, 24 patients had cholesteatoma and 11 of them did not. Of the patients who had revision surgery, 10 had ICW mastoidectomy and 25 had CWD mastoidectomy. After revision mastoidectomy, at 3-25 months follow-up (mean 16.7 months), 29 patients had been successfully treated; they had dry well epithelialized cavity, with no findings of persistent, recurrent discharge or granulation tissue and cholesteatoma. In 21 patients in whom revision CWD mastoidectomy was performed, causes of failure of previous ear surgery in order of frequency were recurrent or persistent cholesteatoma and narrow meatoplasty (80.9%), persistent sinodural angle air cells and close supratubal recess (71.4%), high facial ridge and inadequate canalplasty (66.7%), persistent tegmental air cells and tympanic membrane remnant (57.1%), persistent mastoid apex air cells and open eustachian orifice (52.4%). Causes of failure after our revision ICW mastoidectomy in order of frequency were persistent or recurrent cholesteatoma (78.6%), closed supratubal recess (64.3%), persistent sinodural angle air cells, inadequate canalplasty and persistent mastoid apex air cells (57.1%), persistent tegmental air cells (42.9%).