Cholesteatoma surgery with the canal wall up technique combined with mastoid obliteration: results from primary surgery in 230 consecutive cases.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the canal wall up (CWU) technique combined with mastoid obliteration used in cholesteatoma surgery from the aspects of safety and function.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review. Information was extracted from a medical database and complementary data from patient files and audiograms were collected and recorded retrospectively.

SETTING

A tertiary-stage hospital and a secondary-stage hospital. Surgeons of various levels of experience.

METHOD: Data from a consecutive group of 230 primary operations for cholesteatoma surgery using CWU with obliteration employing the combined approach tympanoplasty (CAT) technique, from January 1994 to December 2009 were analyzed.

RESULTS

In 90% of the ears, the anatomy was normalized with an intact ear drum. The frequency of residual cholesteatoma was 1% and the frequency of recurrent cholesteatoma 8%. Hearing was improved one year postoperatively and remained improved three years postoperatively. No patient suffered a total hearing loss.

CONCLUSIONS

CWU procedure comprising CAT with obliteration of the mastoid is a safe surgical method with a low frequency of residual and recurrent disease and a good hearing preservation.