title: Obliteration of radical cavities with autogenous cortical bone; long-term results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the long-term surgical outcome(s) in patients who have undergone canal-wall-down operation with mastoid and epitympanic obliteration using autologous cortical bone chips, bone pate and meatally-based musculoperiosteal flap technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective evaluation of seventy patients operated during 1986-1991 due to a cholesteatoma. An otomicroscopy was performed to evaluate the postoperative outer ear canal configuration with a modified Likert scale (1 - 4). The outer ear canal physical volume was assessed by tympanometry. The hearing outcome and a patient-filled questionnaire were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The posterior wall results were 1.8 (+/- 0.9 SD) and the attic region 1.8 (+/- 0.9 SD) (ns., p > 0.05). These values show either no cavity formation or minor formation of a cavity, with a good functional result. The mean volume of the operated ear canal was 1.7 (+/- 0.5 SD) ml. The volume of the contralateral ear canal was 1.2 (+/- 0.3 SD) ml (*** p < 0.0001). A comparison of the current mean ABG to the preoperative mean ABG and to the ABG at one-year postoperatively, 5-years postoperatively or 10-years postoperatively showed no statistical significance (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ABG does not significantly change in the long-term. The configuration of the cavity tends to change, however, the obliteration material is stable in the long-term and clinically significant cavitation rarely occurs.
authors.affiliation: Audiology Unit, Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Mansoura Univ., Mansoura, Egypt. akram.abdelrahman@gmail.com
authors.forename: Akram M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abdel-Rahman
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pietola
authors.forename: Teemu J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kinnari
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jero
authors.forename: Antti A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Aarnisalo