Labyrinthine fistulae following radical or conservative radical mastoidectomy

This was a retrospective study of the last 20 years, conducted at a single tertiary care center. The backgrounds, clinical features, and surgical findings were evaluated in 25 patients with labyrinthine fistulae, who had a history of car surgery by canal down technique and received a second operation at our hospital. The patients had a long history of repetitive postoperative aural discharge before the incidence of vertigo, which initially occurred 4 to 64 years (average 20.2 years) after the previous operation. Surgical intervention proved that the fistulae were recognized at the lateral semicircular canal in 19 ears, at the footplate of the stapes in 4 and in the promontrium in 2. Labyrinthine fistulae were closed with conchal cartilage, bone paste, and/ or tempralis fascia. Postoperative courses were uneventful in all patients.