Classification and staging of cholesteatoma.

No staging system for cholesteatoma has been universally adopted. All previous attempts failed to gain acceptance because of the lack of clinical relevance. We have devised a simple system to stage cholesteatoma which is based on the extent of lesion, ossicular condition and the preoperative complications. To illustrate the systems potential value, data from 119 new patients with cholesteatoma are presented and classified according to our proposed scheme. This shows a relationship between the stage of disease, ossicular damage and the occurrence of complications. The proposed staging system is potentially useful when considering the type of surgery required and when comparing published data reporting the results of tympanomastoid surgery.