Ear Treatments

What is Mastoidectomy

One of the most important structures in your inner ear is the mastoid bone. Although it’s called a bone, the mastoid doesn’t have the typical structure associated with other bones in the human body. It’s made of air sacs and resembles a sponge, rather than being solid and rigid like most bones.

The mastoid must receive air from other parts of the ear, including the eustachian tube, to function properly. Your eustachian tube connects your middle ear to the back of your throat. If an infection develops in your middle ear and blocks your eustachian tube, it may subsequently lead to an infection in the mastoid bone. This serious infection is known as mastoid bone infection of the skull, or mastoiditis.

What causes mastoiditis?

The most common cause of mastoiditis is a middle ear infection that has been left untreated. It can spread to your inner ear, invading the sacs of the mastoid bone, without treatment. This can cause the mastoid bone to begin to disintegrate.

Although the condition is most common in children, it can also occur in adults.

What are the symptoms of mastoiditis?

The symptoms of mastoiditis are similar to those of an ear infection. They include:

• Drainage from the affected ear
• Ear pain
• Fever
• Headache
• Hearing loss in the affected ear
• Redness, swelling, and tenderness behind the affected ear