title: Soft-wall reconstruction for cholesteatoma surgery: reappraisal.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reevaluate the validity of the soft-wall reconstruction method of the posterior meatal wall in surgeries for cholesteatomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects consisted of 52 patients (54 ears) with fresh cholesteatoma (excluding residual or recurrent cholesteatomas) who were operated by the soft-wall reconstruction method in our clinic and observed for more than 2 years after surgery, and 29 patients (29 ears) who were operated by canal-wall-down and open method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postoperative period required for complete epithelization (dry ear), hearing, and incidence of the residual and recurrent cholesteatomas were compared with those operated by canal-wall-down and open method. The postoperative conditions of the soft posterior meatal wall was also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative period to be a dry ear was significantly shorter in the soft-wall reconstruction group than in the canal-wall-down and open group (Student's t-test, t = 2.99, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the postoperative hearing or incidence of residual and recurrent cholesteatomas between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that the soft-wall reconstruction method seems more versatile than the canal-wall-down and open method for cholesteatoma surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hearing and Speech Science, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasebe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Funabiki
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*