The aim of this study is to present the clinical symptoms, complications and treatments of the petrous apex cholesteatoma and is to describe the current role of oto-endoscopy. This was a retrospective non-randomized study of 14 petrous apex cholesteatoma surgeries performed between 1994 and 2012. Petrosectomy was performed according to the location of the cholesteatoma, hearing level of the patients and facial nerve function. Oto-endoscopy was used in the petrous apex and the cerebellopontine angle for residual cholesteatoma. 14 patients, seven were men and seven women were included in this study between 1994-2012. The most common symptom was hearing loss (85.7 %) and tinnitus (50 %) at the presentation. During the surgeries, it was observed that cholesteatoma involved most frequently facial nerve, dura and labyrinthines. Labyrinthectomy, middle cranial fossa approach and petromastoidectomy was performed to these patients. Four of six patients operated without the endoscope assistance between 1994-2006 had recurrences after the operation. These patients were re-operated and in the follow up, there was no recurrence. In the endoscopy assisted surgery, there was no recurrence observed (significance level p = 0.014). The most common complication after the surgery was hearing loss (42.8 %) but it was not significant after surgery (p > 0.05). The petrous apex and mastoid cavity was obliterated with fat tissue in eight patients while six patients were exteriorized to follow the recurrence and it was insignificant in recurrences (p > 0.05) CONCLUSION: Endoscope-assisted surgery allows to remove residual the cholesteatoma around the carotid artery, dura and facial nerve in the petrous apex resulting in less invasive surgery and less recurrence in blind spots.
Keywords: Cholesteatoma; Mastoidectomy; Oto-endoscopy; Petrous apex.