Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Congenital auditory meatal atresia: a numerical review

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

Abstract

Congenital auditory meatal atresia (CAMA) is an uncommonly encountered disorder. Though a rare condition, CAMA poses multiple problems for affected children. Recent management of CAMA in developed countries rests on osseo-integrated prostheses and bone-anchored hearing aids. The situation is different in developing countries where aesthetic and otologic surgeries are the available lines of management. Surgical management of CAMA has been staged into reconstructive surgery for auricular deformity followed by external and middle ear reconstruction either via anterior or transmastoid approaches. Multiple case series describing the outcomes and complications of both approaches have been published, but no authors have attempted to compare either. We have attempted to compare the outcomes and complications of both approaches by analyzing published medical articles concerning surgical management of CAMA identified by searching the Medline database using “congenital aural atresia” and “external auditory canal atresia” as keywords. A total of 923 ears were reported by 13 articles included in this study. The transmastoid approach is shown, by multiple linear regression, to have better postoperative hearing gain and less likely restenosis.

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

Access this article

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Altmann F (1955) Congenital atresia of the ear in man and animals. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 64:824–858

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bauer GP, Wiet RJ, Zappia JJ (1994) Congenital aural atresia. Laryngoscope 104:1219–1224

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Caversaccio M, Romualdez J, Baechler R, Nolte LP, Komps M, Hausler R (2003) Valuable use of computer-aided surgery in congenital bony aural atresia. J Laryngol Otol 117:241–248

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Chang SO, Min YG, Kim CS, Koh TY (1994) Surgical management of congenital aural atresia. Laryngoscope 104:606–611

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Chang SO, Jeon SJ, Jeong HS, Kim CS (2002) Prevention of postoperative meatal stenosis with anteriorly and inferiorly based periosteal flap in congenital aural atresia surgery. Otol Neurotol 23:25–28

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chang SO, Choi BY, Hur DG (2006) Analysis of the long-term hearing results after the surgical repair of aural atresia. Laryngoscope 116:1835–1841

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. De La Cruz A, Teufert KB (2003) Congenital aural atresia surgery: long-term results. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 131:263–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. De La Cruz A, Linthicum HF, Luxford W (1985) Congenital atresia of the external auditory canal. Laryngoscope 95:421–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Granström G, Bergström K, Tjellström A (1993) The bone-anchored hearing aid and bone-anchored epithesis for congenital ear malformations. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 109:46–53

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Jahrsdoerfer RA (2003) Surgery for congenital aural atresia. In: Glasscock ME, Gulya AJ (eds) Glasscock-Shambaugh surgery of the ear, 5th edn. BC Decker, Hamilton, pp 389–399

    Google Scholar 

  11. Jahrsdoerfer RA, Yeakley JW, Aguilar EA, Cole RR, Gray LC (1992) Grading system for the selection of patients with congenital aural atresia. Am J Otol 13:6–12

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lambert PR (1988) Major congenital ear malformations: surgical management and results. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 97:641–649

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Lambert PR (1998) Congenital aural atresia: stability of surgical results. Laryngoscope 108:1801–1805

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Marres EH, Cremers CW (1985) Surgical treatment of congenital aural atresia. Am J Otol 6:247–249

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Minatogawa T, Nishimura Y, Inamori T, Kumoi T (1989) Results of tympanoplasty for congenital aural atresia and stenosis with special reference to fascia and homograft material of the tympanic membrane. Laryngoscope 99:632–638

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Nishizaki K, Masuda YU, Karita K (1999) Surgical management and its postoperative complications in congenital aural atresia. Acta Otolaryngol 540(Suppl):42–44

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Petrie A, Bulman JS, Osborn JF (2002) Further statistics in dentistry: Part 6: multiple linear regression. Br Dent J 193:675–682

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Powell RH, Burrell SP, Cooper HR, Proops DW (1996) The Birmingham bone anchored hearing aid programme: paediatric experience and results. J Laryngol Otol 21(Suppl):21–29

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Schuknecht HF (1989) Congenital aural atresia. Laryngoscope 99:908–917

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Shih L, Crabtree JA (1993) Long-term surgical results for congenital aural atresia. Laryngoscope 103:1097–1102

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Smillie KW (1966) An introduction to regression and correlation. Academic, London

    Google Scholar 

  22. Teufert KB, De La Cruz A (2004) Advances in congenital aural atresia surgery: effects on outcome. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 131:263–270

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Thacker SB (1988) Meta-analysis. A quantitative approach to research integration. JAMA 259:1685–1689

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Veltmann JA, Jonkers Y, Nuijten I, Janssen I, van der Vliet W, Huys E, Vermeesch J, Van Buggenhout G, Fryns JP, Admiraal R, Terhal P, Lacombe D, van Kessel AG, Smeets D, Schoenmakers EFPM, van Ravenswaaij-Arts CM (2003) Definition of a critical region on chromosome 18 for congenital aural atresia by array CGH. Am J Hum Genet 72:1578–1584

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aly Mohammad Nagy El-Makhzangy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

El-Begermy, M.AA., Mansour, O.I., El-Makhzangy, A.M.N. et al. Congenital auditory meatal atresia: a numerical review. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 266, 501–506 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-008-0783-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-008-0783-9

Keywords

Navigation