Acquired cholesteatoma in children: presentation, complications and management

Background: Acquired cholesteatoma in children is an aggressive disease due to its rapid growth and high recurrence rate. The objective of the study was to assess clinical features of cholesteatoma in children and evaluate our experience in the overall management of this disease. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 20 children aged 6-15 years operated on for acquired middle ear cholesteatoma from June 2016 to December 2017. An analysis was made about the clinical and operative findings, surgical approaches and the overall management of complications. The data were then compared with the relevant and available literature. Results: Majority of the children presented with complaints of otorrhoea (100%), decreased hearing (90%), otalgia (50%), complications (25%) and most of them (85%) were operated by canal wall down mastoidectomy technique (CWD). Conclusions:Canal wall down mastoidectomy is the optimal management technique for adequate exposure and removal of cholesteatoma in paediatric population.