Hearing results of surgery for acquired cholesteatoma.

Hearing results in 349 chronic ears with cholesteatoma were evaluated. The great majority of the patients underwent canal wall-down mastoidectomy as a one-stage procedure. After a mean follow-up period of 7.3 years, 35% of the ears operated on showed hearing levels of 30 dB or better. Hearing improved in 30%, remained unchanged in 55%, and worsened in 15%. The mean hearing gain was only 5 dB. In 23% of ears with otherwise successful outcomes the tympanum turned fibrotic, leading to poor hearing function.