Managing chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma: report of 233 patients seen in a 5-year period

Background: To assess the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of patients having chronic otitis media (COM) with cholesteatoma seen in the ENT/Head and Neck Surgery Clinic at the University Clinical Center, Prishtina, Kosovo. Method: A systematic review of the medical records of all patients admitted to the ENT clinic having COM with cholesteatoma between January 1999 and December 2003. Results: During this period, 223 patients suffering from COM with cholesteatoma underwent surgical treatment. There were 123 (55%) male and 100 (45%) female patients. Their mean age was 30.7 years, ranging from youngest patient (7-year-old girl) to oldest (73-year-old lady). Thirty-three patients developed complications: 17 patients extracranial complications (EC) and 16 intracranial complications (IC). Leading pathogens in this series were Proteus mirabilis in 52% of cases, Proteus vulgaris in 14% and Staphylococcus aureus in 12%. All patients underwent surgical treatment: 10 patients (4.5%) a canal-wall up (CWU) procedure and 213 (95.5%) a canal-wall down (CWD) procedure. No deaths occurred in this series. Conclusion: Because of possibility of developing life-threatening complications, patients with COM with cholestatoma must diagnosed in time and followed as soon as possible to the center that performs ear surgery, as only adequate treatment option for these patients. Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 17 (1) 2008 pp. 20-2