Endaural Laser-Assisted Single-Stage Inside-Out Cholesteatoma Surgery (LASIC) to Treat Advanced Congenital Cholesteatoma

OBJECTIVES: Investigation of endaural laser-assisted single-stage inside-out cholesteatoma surgery (LASIC) to treat advanced congenital cholesteatoma (ACC) by a modified staging system based on ossicle status. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective case review. SETTING: A university hospital otology referral clinic. PATIENTS: Two hundred consecutive pediatric patients with ACC were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS: Endaural LASIC and postoperative temporal bone computed tomography (CT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Residual or recurrent CC and audiological outcomes. RESULTS: LASIC was feasible in 98.0% of patients. Single-stage ossiculoplasty was performed in 95.5% of patients. Hearing preservation to less than 20 dB was 59.2% and to the preoperative hearing level was 84.5%. Mastoid invasion did not result in worse recidivism or hearing loss (HL) but further invasion of the stapes superstructure (stage IV) significantly elevated both the recidivism (16.7%) and the risk for HL (to 84.8%) (p = 0.001). Ossicle preservation LASIC was frequently possible in stage III posterior type (75.6%), whereas it was rarely possibly (15.4%) in the anterior type. Incudostapedial joint (ISJ) invasion in the absence of cochleariform process (CP) invasion (III-posterior) did not increase the incidence of HL (6.1%) or recidivism (2.4%). However, simultaneous invasion of the CP and ISJ (III-anterior) elevated the risk of HL by 46.2% by ossicle removal, although recidivism was not increased (3.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Endaural LASIC for ACC achieved satisfactory recidivism (overall 7.5%, 16.7% in stage IV) comparable to early CC (17.2%). An ossicle status-based staging system was more efficient for correlation with audiologic and surgical outcomes of CC than that of mastoid invasion.