Congenital Intratympanic Membrane Cholesteatoma: Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Congenital intratympanic membrane cholesteatomas (ITMCs) are very rare. We present 3 cases of congenital ITMCs. In the first case, there was a small keratin pearl in the center of the tympanic membrane. In the other cases, cholesteatomas were found in the periphery. In all cases, cholesteatomas were confined to the space between the outer epithelial layer and the middle fibrous layer. The pathogenesis of this rare disease and the natural history are not well known. In some reported cases, it grows and invades into the middle ear. However, in the present study, the lateral growing of the ITMC was observed in one of the three cases. Furthermore, it naturally grew outward and finally moved to the external auditory canal. Careful periodic observation should be considered for alternative treatments. We present three different cases of ITMC with a review of the literature.