A quantitative study of the suppression of the development of the mastoid air cells by the presence of congenital cholesteatoma

Abstract

Background: The mastoid air cells are considered to develop better in children with congenital cholesteatoma but only a few quantitative studies have examined.

Aims/objectives: The present study was undertaken in order to clarify the relationships between the development of the mastoid air cells in children with congenital cholesteatoma and clinical factors.

Materials and methods: Mastoid air cell development was evaluated in 53 children with congenital cholesteatoma. The sizes of the mastoid air cells were measured on computed tomography scans of the temporal bone, and clinical factors, including age, the extent of invasion, and whether it was located close to the eustachian tube were evaluated.

Results: The cross-sectional area of the mastoid air cells was significantly smaller on the affected side than on the unaffected side, especially in the older patients. The cases involving invasion into the mastoid portion also had smaller mastoid cells. Whether the cholesteatoma was located close to the eustachian tube had no effect.

Conclusions and significance: The mastoid air cells on the affected side were less well developed. Our findings indicate that a high age and the presence of cholesteatoma in the mastoid region might be associated with suppressed mastoid pneumatization.

Chinese abstract

背景：对于患有先天性胆脂瘤的儿童来说, 乳突气囊发育得更好。然而, 只有少数定量研究进行了检查。

目的：本研究旨在阐明先天性胆脂瘤患儿乳突气囊细胞发育与临床因素之间的关系。

材料与方法：对53例先天性胆脂瘤患儿进行了乳突气囊细胞发育评估。通过颞骨的计算机断层扫描来测量乳突气囊的大小, 并且评估临床因素, 包括年龄、侵入程度以及它是否位于靠近咽鼓管的位置。

结果：患侧乳突气囊的横截面积明显小于未患病侧, 尤其是老年患者。侵入乳突部分的病例也具有较小的乳突细胞。胆脂瘤是否位于咽鼓管附近没有影响。

结论和意义：患侧的乳突气囊不太发达。我们的研究结果表明, 高龄和胆脂瘤在乳突区的存在可能与受抑乳突气化有关。

Keywords:

• Congenital cholesteatoma
• mastoid pneumatization
• tympanoplasty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.