title: Delayed labyrinthine fistula in canal wall down mastoidectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article is a retrospective review of 5 cases of delayed labyrinthine fistula in patients with a longstanding canal wall down mastoidectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients had a long-term postoperative follow up with no evidence of complications till they suddenly started to have vertigo. The symptoms were caused by a bony erosion of the lateral semicircular canal detected on physical examination or by a CT-scan. There was no evidence of a recurrent cholesteatoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients underwent surgery in order to close the fistula, with a good result. In all cases, a factor such as an infection or trauma, seems to have triggered off the bone erosion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late complications may occur in the canal wall down mastoidectomy technique, after a long period of follow up in the absence of recurrent cholesteatoma. For this reason, it is advisable to look for a labyrinthine fistula in patient who develop vertigo a long time following mastoid surgery with a resultant radical cavity.
authors.affiliation: Institut Georges Portmann, Bordeaux, France. institut.portmann@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Portmann
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rezende Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005402:Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007759:Labyrinth Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed