Retrograde mastoidectomy on demand with soft-wall reconstruction in pediatric cholesteatoma.

Conclusions: Retrograde mastoidectomy with soft-wall reconstruction is an effective technique that can be used to lower the recurrence rate of cholesteatoma in the pediatric population.

Objective: To evaluate surgical outcomes of retrograde mastoidectomy when using soft-wall reconstruction in pediatric cholesteatoma.

Methods: A total of 25 children underwent cholesteatoma removal surgery employing soft-wall reconstruction. The cases were retrospectively reviewed. Average follow-up time was 48.7 months. In order to fully expose and extirpate the disease, the bony canal wall was removed in association with a retrograde-type mastoidectomy in all cases. The posterior ear canal defect was then reconstructed using soft tissue; i.e. temporal fascia and canal wall skin. The incidence and localization of residual and recurrent cholesteatoma, preoperative and postoperative audiogram results, pure-tone average (PTA), and air-bone gap (ABG) were assessed.

Results: Residual cholesteatoma was detected in 5 (20%) of 25 ears while recurrent cholesteatoma occurred in 1 (4%) of 25 ears. The mean preoperative PTA of air conduction (AC) was 39.1 dB, while the preoperative PTA of the ABGs was 28.8 dB. The mean postoperative PTA-AC and PTA-ABG were 20.9 dB and 11.7 dB, respectively. The mean hearing gain was 18.2 dB. The differences between the pre- and postoperative values were statistically significant (p < 0.05).