Acquired atresia of the external auditory canal: recurrence and long-term results.

OBJECTIVES

I describe the clinical symptoms and signs of acquired atresia of the external auditory canal (EAC) and the technique used to manage it.

METHODS

Forty-one consecutive patients affected by acquired atresia of the EAC were assessed by otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, computed tomography, and traditional and echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The anatomic and functional hearing results were evaluated.

RESULTS

At surgery for acquired atresia of the EAC, an EAC cholesteatoma was found in 3 of the 41 patients. Twenty-three of the 41 patients were followed for at least 5 years. Recurrence was seen in 9 of the 25 ears (36%) over the entire period of observation. Twenty-one, 23, and 22 of the patients had a normal or nearly normal contour and size of the ear canal at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years, respectively. The results were similar for the air-bone gap.

CONCLUSIONS

The main complication following surgery was recurrence. There was recurrence at 6 months in 4 patients (16%). Recurrence was seen in 12% of the cases at the 5-year follow-up. Similar findings were clear on evaluation of the hearing results. This result demonstrates that the surgical procedure, even when performed correctly, did not afford a stable, long-lasting outcome in a cohort of patients.