MANAGEMENT OF BILATERAL IDIOPATHIC CHOLESTEATOMA OF THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL: A CASE REPORT

Cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal is an extremely uncommon pathology that has an incidence of 0.1% in the world population. Generally, cholesteatoma presents in a unilateral form with accumulation of epidermal deposits. We described a case of a young Caucasian woman, with history of bilateral hearing loss and ear fullness. The external auditory canals (EAC) presented desquamated epithelia on the floor and bony erosion of the anterior portion, without involving tympanic membrane and middle ear. Patient performed bilateral canaloplasty, meatoplasty, and cholesteatomas were drilled out. Cholesteatoma is not a pathology exclusive to the middle ear but can also be found, rarely, in the EAC. It is important to perform a differential diagnosis between necrotic otitis, epidermal cap, neoplasms of EAC and epidermal cysts. The biopsy of the lesion, a radiological study, and the surgical treatment with total remotion of the cholesteatoma are the gold standard for best management of the pathology.