Reconstruction of the radical mastoid

Open cavity techniques (radical mastoidectomy, canal wall down tympanomastoidectomy, modified radical mastoidectomy) are well established surgical procedures for the treatment of chronic otitis media. Despite their effectiveness in exteriorizing cholesteatoma, they are associated with a 20 to 60 percent incidence of persistent intermittent drainage. In an effort to eliminate this problem, we have employed a Palva flap and medial graft technique to reconstruct the mastoid cavity and middle ear space in those patients with chronically draining ears