[Possibilities for preserving hearing in labyrinth fistulas of different degrees of severity]

The labyrinthine fistula continues to be one of the most common complications in ears with cholesteatoma. Fifty-one patients with labyrinthine fistula were identified in a series of 1243 cases with cholesteatoma operated upon between 1989 and 1993 at the University ENT Clinic Wuerzburg. The surgical management concept comprised of removing the cholesteatoma matrix, categorizing the fistula type, and immediate covering of the labyrinthine capsule defect with bone dust, perichondrium and fibrin glue. The classification system of the fistulae used in the study used the depth of labyrinthine involvement as a criterion and also took into account the possibility of intentional or accidental damage to the labyrinth during surgical manipulation (Fig. 1). From 1991 on, patients were treated with 500 mg of Presnisolon 21 hydrogen succinate in a single intravenous dose, at the time the fistula was corrected. The postoperative hearing results were graded based on the extend of preservation of inner ear function at or near the preoperative level. None of the patients who had corticosteroid therapy suffered a profound sensory neural hearing loss (Fig. 2, 3), whereas five ears without steroids and a deep fistula lost function completely. The study concluded that corticosteroids have a beneficial impact on postoperative outcome in cases with severe injury to the membranous labyrinth.