Intact-bridge mastoidectomy: Operative techniques

Eradication of disease and preservation of function are two of the most important goals in surgery for chronic problems in the ear. Over the past decades, various surgical approaches have attempted to achieve these objectives. Open-cavity mastoidectomy is usually relatively successful in this endeavor; however, it has well-known drawbacks, namely a life-long cavity and poor hearing results in most cases. The closed-cavity technique, on the other hand, has better preservation of function, but traditionally a higher failure rate in eradicating disease and more challenging surgical steps. Intact-bridge mastoidectomy combines (into a one-step, time-tested operation) the benefits of the open-cavity approaches, such as better and safer eradication of disease, with the better functional results seen with closed-cavity techniques.