Cost-comparison analysis of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI) versus second look surgery for the detection of residual and recurrent cholesteatoma

BackgroundCholesteatoma is a destructive, erosive growth of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the middle ear cleft. Following treatment with a canal wall-up (CWU) tympanomastoidectomy, surveillance of residual and recurrent disease has traditionally been achieved through a second look tympanotomy following the initial procedure. Historically, MRI sequences have been inadequate at differentiating between granulation tissue, inflammation, and …