Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The contralateral ear in cholesteatoma

  • Otology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Middle ear cholesteatoma has been extensively studied. Theories of cholesteatoma pathogenesis involving previous tympanic membrane retraction are the most widely accepted, but the contralateral ear in patients with cholesteatoma remains unstudied. This study aimed to investigate the contralateral ear in patients with cholesteatoma, and to determine whether the characteristics of it differ according to patient age and cholesteatoma growth patterns. This study was cross sectional. We evaluated 356 patients with middle ear cholesteatoma in at least one ear, and no history of surgery, between August 2000 and March 2013. Otoendoscopy was conducted on both the affected and the contralateral ear. They were classified as normal, tympanic membrane perforation, moderate to severe tympanic membrane retraction and cholesteatoma. The mean age of the patients was 32.77 years, and 53.1 % of the cohort were female. Only 34.8 % of the contralateral ears were normal. The most common abnormality was moderate to severe tympanic membrane retraction (41.6 %). Cholesteatoma was identified in 16 %. Children exhibited a greater frequency of tympanic membrane retractions, whereas adults exhibited a greater frequency of cholesteatoma. All of the contralateral ears in the anterior epitympanic group were normal, but otherwise there were no differences in the contralateral ear when we compared the cholesteatoma growth patterns. We conclude that patients diagnosed with acquired cholesteatoma of one ear are significantly more likely to exhibit abnormalities of the contralateral ear.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Paparella MM, Schachern PA, Yoon TH, Abdelhammid MM, Sahni R, da Costa SS (1990) Otopathologic correlates of the continuum of otitis media. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol Suppl 148:17–22

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. McGinn MD, Chole RA, Cholesteatoma Henry KR (1982) Experimental induction in the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus. Acta Otolaryngol 93:61–67

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Chole RA, Henry KR, Mc Ginn MD (1981) Cholesteatoma: spontaneous occurrence in the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatis. Am J Otol 2:204–210

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Yung JY, Lee DH, Wang EW et al (2011) Aeruginosa infection increases morbidity in experimental cholesteatomas. Laryngoscope 121:2449–2454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ruah CB, Schachern PA, Paparella MM, Zelterman D (1992) Mechanisms of retraction pocket formation in the pediatric tympanic membrane. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 118:1298–1305

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rosenfeld RM, Culpepper L, Doyle KJ et al (2004) Clinical practice guideline: otitis media with effusion. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 130:s95

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Oku E, Yildirim I, Kilic AK, Guzelsoy S (2004) Prevalence of otitis media with effusion among primary school children in Kahramanmaras, in Turkey. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 68:557–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Chalton RA, Stearns M (1984) The incidence of bilateral chronic otitis media. J Laryngol Otol 98:337–339

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Costa SS, Rosito LP, Dornelles C, Sperling N (2008) The contralateral ear in chronic otitis media: a series of 500 patients. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 134:290–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Rosito LP, da Costa SS, Schachern PA, Dornelles C, Cureoglu S, Paparella MM (2007) Contralateral ear in chronic otitis media: a histologic study. Laryngoscope 117:1809–1814

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Netto LFS, Costa SS, Sleifer P, Braga MEL (2009) The impact of chronic suppurative otitis media on children’s and teenagers’ hearing. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 73:1751–1756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Silva MN, Muller Jdos S, Selaimen FA, Oliveira DS, Rosito LP, Costa SS (2013) Tomographic evaluation of the contralateral ear in patients with severe chronic otitis media. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 79:475–479

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Jackler RK (1989) The surgical anatomy of cholesteatoma. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 22:883–896

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sadé J, Avraham S, Brown M (1981) Atelectasis, retraction pockets and cholesteatoma. Acta Otolaryngol 92:501–512

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Vartiainen E, Kansanen M, Vartiainen J (1996) The contralateral ear in patients with chronic otitis media. Am J Otol 17:190–192

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Sudhoff H, Tos M (2007) Pathogenesis of sinus cholesteatoma. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 264:1137–1143

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sudhoff H, Tos M (2000) Pathogenesis of attic cholesteatoma: clinical and immunohistochemical support for combination of retraction theory and proliferation theory. Am J Otol 21:786–792

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Lisiane Hauser for statistical analyses and assistance, without which this study would not have been possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2400, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90035-003, Brazil

    Sady Selaimen da Costa

  2. Department of Health and Human Communication, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2777, room 315, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90035-007, Brazil

    Adriane Ribeiro Teixeira

  3. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, zona 19, Bairro Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90035-903, Brazil

    Letícia Petersen Schmidt Rosito

Authors
  1. Sady Selaimen da Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adriane Ribeiro Teixeira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Letícia Petersen Schmidt Rosito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Letícia Petersen Schmidt Rosito.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

None.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

da Costa, S.S., Teixeira, A.R. & Rosito, L.P.S. The contralateral ear in cholesteatoma. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 273, 1717–1721 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-015-3736-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-015-3736-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation