Exclusive endoscopic ear surgery for acquired cholesteatoma: preliminary results

To present preliminary results in transmeatal exclusive endoscopic ear surgery.

Retrospective.

Rigid endoscopes were used for all procedures. A wide posterior tympanomeatal flap was elevated transmeatally, and the scutum was removed with a bone curette or was drilled until visualization of cholesteatoma extension and the mastoid antrum. The malleus and incus were removed when they were involved in the cholesteatoma or restricted access to it. When present, the stapes was left intact. Endoscopic accessibility was defined by no extension of the cholesteatoma beyond the level of the lateral semicircular canal. Scutumplasty was by with tragal cartilage, and tympanic membrane defects were reconstructed with the palisade technique and perichondrium.

Thirty patients, aged 9 to 75 years, underwent the exclusive endoscopic transmeatal cholesteatoma eradication between July 2008 and May 2010. There were no incidents of iatrogenic injuries to the facial nerve or ossicles. Closure of the tympanic membrane and good hygienic status (water tolerance and absence of inflammation) were achieved in all operated ears. Two patients had significant postoperative worsening of their sensorineural hearing loss: the cholesteatoma of one of them involved all 3 ossicles and oval window and the other patient experienced postoperative labyrinthitis. There was no residual disease in 18 patients who were followed for more than 1 year, and the non-echo-planar base diffusion-weighted sequence magnetic resonance imaging was negative in 3 patients.

Our preliminary results indicate that the minimally invasive endoscopic ear surgery allowed complete eradication of cholesteatoma from the middle ear and its extensions, with minimal morbidity and good functional results.