title: [Preliminary experience on endoscopic endonasal management of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the feasibility and related aspects on endoscopic endonasal management of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective data analysis was performed on 3 cases in which the endoscopic endonasal approach was used to manage this lesion between 2011 and 2014. Case information including radiological data, surgical technique, symptoms, and complications was reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main clinical manifestations in these 3 patients were tinnitus, hearing loss at the hearing threshold of 40-50 dBHL. After operation, all 3 patients showed disappearance of their tinnitus and improvement of the hearing threshold of 10-30 dBHL (follow-up 6-45 months). Permanent drainage route was performed in 1 case which communicated with sphenoid sinus. While the other 2 cases which drained to pharyngeal recess resulted in drainage route blocking within the 3-6 months after surgery, but without obvious symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This procedure for the drainage of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma showed to be effective, safe and minimally invasive. Although there is no recurrence in short-term, however, long-term surveillance and large case series are necessary, especially to the maitainence of permanent drainage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, People's Liberation Army Medical college, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Email: chen301@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol; D004322:Drainage; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000601:surgery*; D034381:Hearing Loss; D006801:Humans; D009666:Nose; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus; D014012:Tinnitus
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol