This report describes a French bulldog and a pug that presented to the authors' hospital following total ear canal ablation (
TECA) and lateral
bulla osteotomy (LBO), with signs of recurring
otitis media and difficulty opening their mouths. The bulldog also had unilateral
facial paralysis and sensory deficits of the trigeminal nerve on the ipsilateral side. Computed tomography and MRI scans suggested
cholesteatoma in the bulldog, but showed only slight enlargement of the
bulla in the pug. Histopathologic examination of samples yielded
cholesteatoma in both cases. The authors suspect that development of the
cholesteatomas was linked to the
TECA/LBO surgery in both cases.
Cholesteatomas may occur more frequently than currently thought. Even if only slight changes of the
bulla wall are detected on CT, early-stage
cholesteatoma should be considered. The narrow anatomic conditions in brachycephalic dogs possibly predispose such breeds to develop
cholesteatoma after middle ear surgery because complete removal of all inflammatory and epithelial tissue can be more difficult than in other breeds. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an
aural cholesteatoma causing sensory deficits of the trigeminal nerve.