Objectives:
Microscopic ear surgery (MES) is a well-developed traditional surgical procedure for treating middle ear disease. However, the microscope provides only a straight-line view through the ear canal, and blind spots and hidden recesses can easily be missed using this transcanal approach. This problem is especially common in the management of cholesteatomas and can increase the risk of a residual cholesteatoma due to remnants of the matrix in the ear [1]. An otologist often must adopt the retroauricular transmastoid approach to overcome the limited surgical view of the microscope, which inevitably leaves an obvious surgical wound behind the ear.
Recently, transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) has been proven to be an effective alternative to traditional MES for treating middle ear disease in adults due to its wider and more flexible surgical view, better mastoid function preservation, smaller surgical wound, shorter surgical time, and shorter hospital stay [1-5]. However, the feasibility of TEES in pediatric patients is still debatable because children’s external auditory canals (EACs) are narrower, shorter, and curvier than those of adults [1]. In this study, the surgical outcomes and surgical time (duration of surgery) were compared between adult and pediatric patients who underwent TEES, and we also discussed the feasibility of TEES in children.