The antrum exclusion technique in cholesteatoma surgery.

A new surgical technique for the treatment of cholesteatoma is reported. The technique involves auto-exclusion for exteriorization of the attic and tympanic box only. The resulting cavity is rather small. The technique allows visual post-operative control of the attic and tympanic membrane. There is no visual access to the mastoid cavity which, however, is the most unlikely site for occurrence of a residual cholesteatoma. The proposed technique was applied to 102 patients and both the anatomic and functional results obtained are reported.