Obliteration of radical cavities with autogenous cortical bone; long-term results

BACKGROUND To evaluate the long-term surgical outcome(s) in patients who have undergone canal-wall-down operation with mastoid and epitympanic obliteration using autologous cortical bone chips, bone pate and meatally-based musculoperiosteal flap technique. METHOD Retrospective evaluation of seventy patients operated during 1986-1991 due to a cholesteatoma. An otomicroscopy was performed to evaluate the postoperative outer ear canal configuration with a modified Likert scale (1 - 4). The outer ear canal physical volume was assessed by tympanometry. The hearing outcome and a patient-filled questionnaire were also analyzed. RESULTS The posterior wall results were 1.8 (+/- 0.9 SD) and the attic region 1.8 (+/- 0.9 SD) (ns., p > 0.05). These values show either no cavity formation or minor formation of a cavity, with a good functional result. The mean volume of the operated ear canal was 1.7 (+/- 0.5 SD) ml. The volume of the contralateral ear canal was 1.2 (+/- 0.3 SD) ml (*** p < 0.0001). A comparison of the current mean ABG to the preoperative mean ABG and to the ABG at one-year postoperatively, 5-years postoperatively or 10-years postoperatively showed no statistical significance (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION ABG does not significantly change in the long-term. The configuration of the cavity tends to change, however, the obliteration material is stable in the long-term and clinically significant cavitation rarely occurs.