Mastoid cavity obliteration: our experience.

INTRODUCTION A chronic discharging ear has been a challenge for the otologists for centuries. The mainstay of treatment for cholesteatoma is surgery and the surgical treatment of choice is modified radical mastoidectomy. The open mastoidectomy technique has been the mainstay of management of chronic ear disease; however this type of surgery is not without its problem. It results in the formation of a mastoid cavity which has various problems. Mastoid obliteration is done to eliminate the cavity related problems. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To study surgical results of mastoid obliteration, efficacy of different methods of mastoid obliteration, cavity problems and the need of cavity care. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted on 30 subjects having evidence of attico-antral type of disease in middle ear cleft. The mastoid cavity was obliterated with either cartilage/bone dust/flaps Scientific design-prospective study. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Incidence of discharge, debris, giddiness, pain was reduced in obliterated cavities. Healing of cavity was better in obliterated ears. Cavity obliterated with bone dust and flap had better and early epithelialisation as compared to cartilage.