Obliteration of mastoid and middle ear for severe trauma to the temporal bone.

A review of four cases of severe trauma to the temporal bone involving fracture of the external auditory canal indicates that adipose obliteration of the mastoid and middle-ear cleft with closure of the external auditory canal is the optimal method of repair. In two of four patients, one-stage repair was successful using this technique, and in the other two patients, obliteration was required as a revision operation after cholesteatoma developed from previous procedures.