Bilateral congenital middle ear cholesteatomas.

Congenital middle ear cholesteatomas remain of interest because of their relative rarity and unknown origin. A 4-month-old child presenting with bilateral congenital middle ear cholesteatomas forms the basis for this report. The nature of the epithelial debris found suggests an external origin. An extended transcanal tympanotomy approach for removal, based upon an operative experience of 11 similar ears, will be discussed.