Mastoid surgery at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital 1986-1988.

Eighty-three children between ages 0-12 years had mastoid surgery in the three year period 1986-88. The indications were acute mastoiditis (30 children), uncontrolled chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) (24 children), cholesteatoma (22 children) and a miscellaneous group (7 children). Forty-seven per cent of those with acute mastoiditis were under one year but the 27 per cent with cholesteatoma as the precipitating cause were 4-12 years. Twenty-three per cent had significant complications. Typmano-mastoid surgery was employed to resolve uncontrolled CSOM. Children were between 2-12 years and 62 per cent were below the 25th centile for weight. Seventy-nine per cent of the tympanic membrane grafts were successful. The children with cholesteatoma were between 3-12 years and 76 per cent were below the 25th centile for weight. Eight of them only presented after the onset of acute mastoiditis. One child had a definite congenital cholesteatoma. Only one had a pars flaccida origin of the cholesteatoma sac and only eight an origin from the postero-superior pars tensa. All had open cavity surgery. When the cavity was lined by temporalis fascia, healing was improved markedly.