[The retrospect and analysis of the clinical diagnosis and therapy for congenital cholesteatoma of temporal bone].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the diagnosis and the therapy methods of congenital temporal bone cholesteatoma. METHOD: Reviewing and analyzing the clinical data and information about 16 cases of congenital temporal bone patients from 1980 to 2002. RESULT: The surgery were proceeded for removing cholesteatoma focus in all patients and the diagnosing were made by histopathologic investigation. Following for half to three years, 6 cases of facial nerve paralysis got partially or totally healing, hearing function improved in 5 cases, 2 cases relapsed and operation were made again for resecting, recrudescent cholesteatoma. There were no any subsequent symptoms happened. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of congenial temporal bone cholesteatoma mainly base on the patient's clinical symptoms and manifestation, and imaging examination. MRI can clearly show cholesteatoma focus and other organs or tissues (including some encephalic frameworks) around it, which also is one of important inspection techniques for discriminating from congenital encephalic cholesteatoma near rock part of temporal bone. The drum integrity is not necessary condition for diagnosing this disease, the surgery approaches are selected by the size and position of focus. The key for preventing recrudescence is to drastically eliminate cholesteatoma tissues.