ABSTRACT
Congenital aural atresia requires reconstructive surgery because of its negative effect against hearing and cosmetic problem. Two surgical methods, anterior and transmastoid approaches, have been designed for the surgery and many surgeons have advocated any techniques depending on their surgical experiences and advantages of each method. We analyzed retrospectively 53 cases of congenital aural atresia operated with the use of one of both approaches, and got the clinical, audiological and surgical results as follows. 1) Postoperative dressing period was shorter in the anterior approach(34.5 days) than in the posterior one(44.2 days). 2) Hearing results are better in the anterior approach. 3) Postoperative complications include granulation tissue formation, drum lateralization, external auditory canal stenosis and temporary facial nerve weakness. And it happened more frequently in the anterior approach than the posterior one. 4) Facial nerve anormaly was noted in 16 cases(30.2%) and cholesteatoma in 5 cases(9.4%).