Surgical Management of Middle Ear Cholesteatoma—Treatment with Canal Reconstruction Tympanoplasty with Mastoid Obliteration (CRTMO)

Middle ear cholesteatoma [*1] is characterized by the invasion of the abnormally activated stratified skin epithelium with depositions in the middle ear and mastoid. Unless surgically removed, the cholesteatoma, usually accompanied by marked inflammatory reaction, will continuously grow and initiate destruction of adjacent bone structures, that may give rise to serious complications such as labyrinthine erosion, facial nerve palsy and/or inflammatory complications within the skull.