Clinical and surgical aspects of cholesteatomas in children.

A review of 101 charts of pediatric patients who underwent surgery for cholesteatoma in the Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, Brazil, showed that the peak incidence was in the 10- to 15-year-old age group (mean age, 10.7 years). A high incidence of complications (45.5%) and a significant functional impairment (air-bone gap greater than 40 dB in 49% of patients) were some of the particular features of our patients. Radical or modified radical mastoidectomies were performed in 75 cases (74.3% of cases). The open technique was chosen primarily to eradicate cholesteomatous disease, but the satisfactory functional results also achieved support our preference for this technique.