Objective: To evaluated the characteristics, stage classification and treatment of external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC).
Method: Fifty-nine cases (60 ears) with EACC undergoing surgery were retrospectively analyzed in our study.
Result: Hearing impairment, otalgia and otorrhea were common symptoms of EACC patients. A total of 60 ears were classified into 4 stages: Stage I (26 ears) underwent canaloplasty, stage II (14 cars) underwent both canaloplasty and tympanoplasty, stage III (19 ears) underwent mastoidectomy, and stage IV (1 ear) required both canaloplasty and neoplasty of capsula articularis articulations temporomandibular.
Conclusion: Besides the lesion in external auditory canal, EACC also invaded into the middle ear and the temporal bone. Stage classification by the signs of the temporal bone computed tomography and the patients' clinical findings was helpful for surgery.