Two Cases of Suspected Spontaneous Regression of Congenital Cholesteatoma in Children

Abstract

We report two pediatric cases of suspected congenital cholesteatoma which the lesions spontaneously disappeared during the follow-up period. In case 1, a 3-year-old boy was examined by his local otolaryngologist because of an ear wax plug. In case 2, a 4-year-old girl was examined by her local otolaryngologist because of acute otitis media. In each case, a small whitish mass was found behind the ipsilateral anterior-superior-quadrant of the tympanic membrane, and the cases were referred to our hospital for further investigation. The children did not exhibit hearing loss or bone destruction in the middle ear. In both cases, the whitish mass gradually decreased in size during the follow-up period and disappeared under otomicroscopic examination. On the temporal bone CT images, a soft tissue mass anterior to the manubrium of the malleus also gradually decreased in size and disappeared. Based on these two cases, a “wait and watch” approach should be considered for patients with congenital cholesteatoma who do not exhibit hearing loss or bone destruction in the middle ear.