Atypical Presentation of Congenital Cholesteatoma in an Adult Case

<p>Cholesteatoma congenita is a recognized anatomoclinical entity. Adult forms are rare, with only a handful of documented cases. Making the diagnosis of congenital cholesteatoma in adult patients still pose a challenge even among experienced otologists. T he etiopathogenesis of this lesion is still unknown; however, when cholesteatoma develops in subjects with no history of ear inflammation, as in the case we report here, an embryological origin is strongly suspected. An acquired origin is assumed in patients with a history of inflammatory processes in the outer or middle ear, due to proliferation of the basal cell layer of the tympanic membrane epithelium.it can occur in atypical places and at atypical ages. Many authors prefer tympanomastoidectomy of the canal wall. But it can also be successfully treated by intact canal wall tympanomastoidectomy, with good hearing results. We report a rare case of congenital cholesteatoma in an adult patient.</p>