Determinants influencing cholesteatoma recurrence in daily practice: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Cholesteatoma is a benign but destructive epithelial lesion in the middle ear and/or mastoid. It is hard to translate data from previous research to daily clinical practice. In this study, factors influencing recurrence rates in daily clinical practice were identified.

Method: The study included 67 patients who were treated for a cholesteatoma with combined approach tympanoplasty. The average follow-up time was 35 months.

Results: The recurrence rate was 23.3 per cent in adults and 45.5 per cent in children. Predictors of recurrence were younger age and a low tegmen. A cholesteatoma in a child and the simultaneous presence of a low tegmen led to recurrence in 82.8 per cent of the patients.

Conclusion: Patients - especially children - with a low tegmen have an increased risk of recurrence. It is recommended that ENT surgeons be aware of recurrence in children, particularly in the case of a low tegmen.