ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Labyrinthine fistula (LF) is a very common clinical complication mainly caused by middle ear cholesteatoma. Whether the presence of different degree LF caused by middle ear cholesteatoma aggravates neurosensory hearing loss (NSHL) and what is the degree of the hearing loss caused by LF were still under controversial. This study aimed to investigate whether the LF degree is correlative with the age distribution, disease duration and hearing loss degree for cholesteatomatous patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The files of 143 patients with middle ear cholesteatoma were selected and reviewed in a retrospective study. Seventy-eight patients with LF were divided into three types according to the degree of destruction of labyrinth. Sixty-five patients without LF were randomly chosen for control. Then, we compared the clinical characteristics of patients with or without labyrinthine fistulae caused by middle ear cholesteatoma.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>According to the study, cholesteatomatous patients with LF were older and suffered longer disease duration than those without LF. Hearing loss is severe with high frequencies both in patients with and without LF. Moreover, inner ear impairment is correlative with the degree of destruction in labyrinth, and more severe destruction in labyrinth follow the more severe symptoms correlative with inner ear impairment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Surgical intervention should be performed as early as possible for these cholesteatomatous patients.</p>