title: Cholesteatoma surgery: the influence of the canal wall.
abstract: Although there is an increasing awareness of the risks of complications following intact canal wall tympanoplasty (ICWT) for cholesteatoma, long-term evidence to support a preference for alternative techniques in which the canal wall having been removed, the resultant cavity is obliterated, is comparatively scarce. In order to clarify this uncertainty, long-term results with both operations have been analyzed to determine incidence rates for postoperative complications and functional results. Recurrent cholesteatoma (retraction pocket) has occurred in 14% of ICWT ears and 1% of ears with mastoid obliteration and tympanic reconstruction. The incidence of clinically detected residual disease with both operations has been extremely low so far, in spite of greater than 20% incidence of epithelial pearls at the second stage of separate planned two-stage procedures with each technique. It is concluded that reduction to the greatest degree possible of cholesteatomatous complications from tympanoplasty necessitates removal of the canal wall.
mesh_terms: D002781:Cholesteatoma / Q000601:surgery*; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000601:surgery*; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*