Transcanal Endoscopic Ear Surgery for Advanced External Auditory Canal Cholesteatoma in Naim Stage III and IV

To report the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes, as well as endoscopic-assisted ear surgery techniques used in patients with advanced external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC).

Retrospective case series.

University hospital.

From October 2014 to September 2017, adult patients (age > 18) with advanced EACC (Naim's classification: stage III or IV) who underwent transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) were enrolled. The presenting features, extent of the lesion, and reconstruction techniques used were assessed. The healing time which was defined as the time required to develop a dry, re-epithelialized, and self-cleaning external auditory canal, was compared between stage III and IV.

Twenty-three patients were included. EACC was categorized as stage III in 11 ears and stage IV in 12 ears. Cholesteatoma involved the mastoid (30%), middle ear (26%), chorda tympani (22%), temporomandibular joint, antrum, and facial nerve (17% for each). In 96% of patients, a dry and self-cleaning external auditory canal (EAC) was maintained after a mean follow-up of 15 months. The median healing time was 8 weeks in stage III, which was significantly shorter than the 12 weeks required for stage IV (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the median healing time between TEES and the canal wall up mastoidectomy for stage IV EACC (14 weeks) performed by the same surgeon over the same period (p > 0.05).

TEES is a feasible and safe technique for the exposure and eradication of advanced EACC. Some critical endoscopic techniques for resecting disease and reconstructing the defect in the EAC and middle ear should be mastered before performing this operation.