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Objectives: We investigated factors that affect the
technique to be used in cholesteatoma surgery.
Patients and Methods: The study included 186 patients
who underwent surgery for suppurative chronic otitis media
with cholesteatoma. Open technique (group A) was used in
143 patients, and closed technique (group B) was used in
43 patients. The two groups were compared with respect to
medical (age, sex, hearing loss, mastoid pneumatization,
site of cholesteatoma, complications) and paramedical
(education level, postoperative patient compliance, health
insurance, the season at the time of operation) factors.
Results: Medical factors that differed significantly
between the two groups included the degree of hearing
loss, site of cholesteatoma, and presence of complications.
The only significant difference was in education
level among the paramedical factors. A great majority of
patients with a hearing loss above 60 dB were in group A.
Cholesteatoma was localized in the middle ear and attic
in 10 patients, and in the antrum and/or mastoid cells in
133 patients in group A, compared to 37 and six patients
in group B, respectively. All the patients (n=34) who had
chronic otitis media complications associated with
cholesteatoma were in group A.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that selection of the
technique for cholesteatoma surgery depends on more
than one factor.