Description

Acquired cholesteatoma is a special form of chronic otitis media in which keratinizing squamous epithelium grows from the tympanic membrane or/and the auditory canal skin into the middle ear mucosa. Acquired cholesteatomas of the middle ear are further divided into primary acquired and secondary acquired forms. The primary acquired cholesteatoma is the most frequent type of acquired cholesteatoma and develops by the progression of an initial retraction pocket into a cholesteatoma. Primary acquired cholesteatomas are named relative to the site of the pocket origin: (1) attic cholesteatoma consecutive to a pars flaccida pocket,(2) mesotympanic cholesteatoma due to a pars tensa pocket, and (3) combined forms, due to double pockets. The predominant form of acquired cholesteatoma in children develops in 80% from retraction pockets of the pars tensa whereas in adults, this form develops mainly in the pars flaccida.

The diagnosis of cholesteatoma is made on otoscopic examination, including endoscopic and microscopic evaluation, imaging, or surgical exploration. The symptoms of cholesteatoma vary; some cholesteatomas are asymptomatic, whereas others become infected and rapidly cause bone destruction. Some patients will present with slowly progressive conductive hearing loss and, frequently, with chronic otitis and purulent otorrhea. The otorrhea from an infected cholesteatoma often is malodorous because of the frequent infection with anaerobic bacteria. Some patients will have signs and symptoms of the complications of a cholesteatoma: vertigo and hearing loss caused by a labyrinthine fistula, facial nerve paralysis, or intracranial infection.

there are some contraindications to the use of exclusively endoscopic approaches. For example, if cholesteatoma involves the mastoid cavity, it is not possible to control and remove it by only a transcanal approach; the use of the microscope in combination with the endoscope is recommended. Also, a narrow external ear canal, or external ear malformation, can pose general anatomical difficulties for exclusively endoscopic approaches.