Malformations Associated With Pediatric Congenital Cholesteatomas

Malformations Associated With Pediatric Congenital Cholesteatomas: Objective:

To describe malformations associated with pediatric congenital cholesteatomas of the middle ear.

Study Design:

Retrospective study.

Setting:

Tertiary referral center.

Patients:

One hundred and seventy-three cases of middle ear congenital cholesteatoma (CC) in 171 children operated between 2007 and 2017.

Interventions:

Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were collected from operative reports.

Main Outcome Measures:

We first described the type and rate of malformations associated with CC. Secondly, we compared cholesteatoma features in two subgroups: anterior superior (AS) versus posterior superior (PS) starting point. Third, we compared demographic, clinical, and surgical data between patients with and without malformation.

Results:

CC was associated with malformations in 17 cases (17/173; 9.8%). The main malformation was preauricular fistula (8/173; 4.6%). Other malformations were: one first branchial cleft, two labio palatine cleft, one nasal cyst, two preauricular fibrochondroma, and five other malformations. PS congenital cholesteatomas were diagnosed in older children (4.6 versus 8.6 years, p