CHOLESTEATOMA IN CHILDREN - HISTOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN MIDDLE-EAR OSSICLES

Middle ear ossicles removed during ear surgery in 40 patients were exa mined in order to compare the histopathologic changes in children with those observed in adults. Bone resorption, mainly localized at the le vel of the periosteum and haversian canals in adults, was much more ex tensive in children. Replacement of bone by fibrous granulation tissue was observed in 60% of children's ossicles and in 27% of those belong ing to adults. In children, extensive active resorptive osteitis of th e ossicles was frequently associated with intensive round cell infiltr ation, which seems to play an important role in bone absorption and in the aggressiveness of cholesteatoma.