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What are mastoids?

Updated: 8/10/2023
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12y ago

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Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone of the skull. Causes, incidence, and risk factors Mastoiditis is usually a consequence of a middle ear infection (acute otitis media). The infection may spread from the ear to the mastoid bone of the skull. The mastoid bone fills with infected materials and its honeycomb-like structure may deteriorate. Mastoiditis most commonly affects children. Before antibiotics, mastoiditis was one of the leading causes of death in children. Now it is a relatively uncommon and much less dangerous disorder. Symptoms * ear pain or discomfort o earache o pain behind the ear * redness of the ear or behind the ear * fever, may be high or spike (have sudden high increases) * headache * drainage from the ear Signs and tests An examination of the head may indicate mastoiditis. A skull X-ray or head CT scan or CT of the ear may show an abnormality in the mastoid bone. A culture of drainage from the ear may show bacteria. Treatment Mastoiditis may be difficult to treat because it is difficult for medications to reach deep enough into the mastoid bone. It may require repeated or long-term treatment. Antibiotics by injection, then antibiotics by mouth are given to treat the infection. Surgery to remove part of the bone and drain the mastoid (mastoidectomy) may be needed if antibiotic therapy is not successful. Surgical drainage of the middle ear through the eardrum (myringotomy) may be needed to treat the underlying middle ear infection. Expectations (prognosis) Mastoiditis is curable with treatment but may be hard to treat and may recur. Complications * recurrence * partial or complete hearing loss of the affected ear * destruction of the mastoid bone * facial paralysis * meningitis * spread of infection to the brain or throughout the body * epidural abscess Calling your health care provider Call your health care provider if symptoms indicate mastoiditis. Call for an appointment with your health care provider if a known ear infection does not respond to treatment or is followed by new symptoms, or if symptoms do not respond to treatment. Prevention Prompt and complete treatment of ear infections reduces the risk of developing mastoiditis.

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17y ago
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15y ago

The mastoid bone is actually a portion of the temporal bone - the bone on the sides of the skull. The temporal bone is made up of several portions - the squamous, petrous, mastoid, and styloid portions.

The mastoid houses many air cells, rather than being solid bone, and many think this is to decrease the weight of the skull.

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12y ago

left mastoids are seen soleroti.

deformed left pinna with blind ending external auditory canal and abscent left middle ear cavity and ossicles.

it is cureble or not.

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Ear infection - chronic?

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Sometimes, the eardrum (tympanic membrane) may stick to the bones in the middle ear.A chronic ear infection may cause permanent changes to the ear and nearby bones, including:Infection in the mastoid bone behind the ear (mastoiditis)Ongoing drainage from a hole in the eardrum that does not heal, or after the ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) are insertedCyst of the middle ear (cholesteatoma)Hardening of the tissue in the middle ear (tympanosclerosis)Damage to, or wearing away of the bones of the middle ear, which help with hearing"Suppurative chronic otitis" is a phrase doctors use to describe an eardrum that keeps rupturing, draining, or swelling in the middle ear or mastoid area and does not go away.Ear infections are more common in children because their Eustachian tubes are shorter, narrower, and more horizontal than in adults. Chronic ear infections are much less common than acute ear infections.SymptomsA chronic, long-term infection in the ear may have less severe symptoms than an acute infection. It may go unnoticed and untreated for a long time.Symptoms include:Ear pain or discomfort, earacheUsually mildMay feel like pressure in the earFeverFussinessPus-like drainage from the earHearing lossNote: Symptoms may be continuous or come and go, and may occur in one or both ears.Signs and testsAn examination of the ear may show:DullnessRednessAir bubblesFluid behind the eardrumDraining fluid from the eardrumA hole (perforation) in the eardrumThe eardrum bulges out or pulls back inwardTests may include:Cultures of the fluid may show bacteria, and these bacteria may be resistant or harder to treat than the bacteria commonly involved in an acute ear infection.Skull x-rays or a CT scan of the head or mastoids may show that the infection has spread beyond the middle ear.Hearing tests may be needed.TreatmentThe health care provider may prescribe antibiotics if the infection may be due to bacteria. You may need to take antibiotics for a long time, either by mouth or sometimes into a vein (intravenously).If there is a hole in the eardrum, antibiotic ear drops are used. For a difficult-to-treat infected ear that has a hole (perforation), a dilute acidic solution (such as distilled vinegar and water) may be recommended by your health care provider.A surgeon may need to clean out (debride) tissue that has gathered inside the ear.Other surgeries that may be needed include:Surgery to clean the infection out of the mastoid bone (mastoidectomy)Surgery to repair or replace the small bones in the middle earRepair of the eardrumExpectations (prognosis)Chronic ear infections usually respond to treatment. However, your child may need to keep taking medicines for several months.Chronic ear infections are not life threatening, but they can be uncomfortable and may result in hearing loss and other serious complications.ComplicationsPartial or complete hearing loss due to damage of the middle earSlow development of language or speechParalysis of the faceInflammation around the brain (epidural abscess) or in the brainDamage to the part of the ear that helps with balancePermanent hearing loss is rare, but the risk increases with the number and length of infections.Calling your health care providerCall for an appointment with your health care provider if:You or your child has signs of a chronic ear infectionAn ear infection does not respond to treatmentNew symptoms develop during or after treatmentPreventionGetting prompt treatment for an acute ear infection may reduce the risk of developing a chronic ear infection. Have a follow-up examination with the health care provider after an ear infection has been treated to make sure that it is completely cured.ReferencesChole RA, Sudhoff HH. Chronic otitis media, mastoiditis, and petrositis. In: Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, Robbins KT, Thomas JR, eds. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2005:chap 133.Morris PS, Leach AJ. Acute and chronic otitis media. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2009 Dec;56(6):1383-99.