Forgive me in advance if this is the wrong newsgroup to pose this
question. I am trying to determine the distinction between retraction
pocket cholesteatomas and perforation cholesteatomas. My understanding
right now is that retraction pocket cholesteatoma are formed when
negative pressure within the middle ear sucks a weakened portion of the
tympanic membrane into the middle ear cavity. The inside of the pocket
then sheds keratin into the pocket causing it to grow eventually causing
damage to the ossicles. My question is: how is a perforation
cholesteatoma different? I understand that initially it forms when a
perforation allows skin to grow into the middle ear space, but is the
subsequent development the same as the retraction pocket? That is is a
cyst somehow formed that grows the same way as the retraction pocket
cholesteatoma or is the growth and development process different? To
further complicate the issue how is a congenital cholesteatoma's growth
and development unique from the other two?
Thanks for your time,
Andrew
