Tympanoplasty with Intact Canal Wall Mastoidectomy for Cholesteatoma: Long‐Term Surgical Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: With different mastoidectomy approaches available to the surgeon for treatment of cholesteatoma, we review long-term outcomes of intact canal wall (ICW) mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Academic medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All cases of cholesteatoma treated with ICW mastoidectomy by the senior author over a period of 9 years for which at least 2 years of follow-up data exist. Patient and disease information was collected retrospectively and analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred forty-eight patients with 156 affected ears were treated and followed for a median of 5.3 years (range, 2.1-14.8). The majority of the operations (144/156, 92%) were staged. Of those that were staged, 51/144 (35%) had residual cholesteatoma at the second stage. Thirteen patients (8%) had recurrence of their cholesteatoma, of which 6 required a subsequent canal wall down (CWD) mastoidectomy. CONCLUSIONS: ICW mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty continues to be a successful treatment for cholesteatoma. We found a substantial residual rate at the second stage, justifying the necessity of staging in most cases. Recurrence rate of cholesteatoma using this technique is low, as is the progression to CWD mastoidectomy.