Treatment of Postauricular Mastoid Cutaneous Fistula by Superficial Temporalis Fascia Transposition Flap

ABSTRACT

Postauricular mastoid cutaneous fistula is the rare complication of chronic otitis media due to the development of antibiotics and many diagnostic tools. Various techniques are recommended to reconstruct mastoid cutaneous fistula including simple closure, bone or cartilage graft and muscle flap coverage. Simple closure often results in a larger fistula because of the necrotic skin edge and dead space. Bone or cartilage graft are not satisfactory due to resorption and infection. Muscle flap is not easy to obliterate the dead space and expect the final volume due to the denervation atrophy. We present a method of closing postauricular mastoid cutaneous fistula by superficial temporalis fascia transposition flap. This method could close the fistula and obliterate the mastoid cavity successfully without complication.