Mastoidectomy

Mastoidectomy is a surgical procedure performed to extract the infected cells present within the mastoid bone. The mastoid bone is present behind the ear. The procedure is performed in case of mastoiditis, chronic suppurative otitis media, and cholesteatoma.

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Will I suffer from hearing loss after my mastoidectomy surgery and do I need a hearing aid afterward?

Query: Hello doctor, My cholesteatoma removal surgery (mastoidectomy) is due in the next few weeks. I was told all three bones in my ear needed to be removed, and that hearing will get worse after the operation. So, I have a few questions. 1) What degree of hearing would be remaining after the operation? 2...  Read Full »


Dr. Pandian. P

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I went through your query and understood your concern. The hearing will not get worse after the operation. I request you to attach a few pictures for better understanding. I hope this has helped you. Thanks and regards.  Read Full »

I hit the newly placed eardrum with the nails after tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy. Do I need another surgery?

Query: Hi doctor, I had tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy surgery on a few years back. I had a deep attic pocket and an ear infection, due to which I was told to have surgery. I visited my doctor last week, and he declared me fit and allowed me to swim and bathe with cotton on. But I had some discharge the...  Read Full »


Dr. Syed Peerzada Tehmid Ul Haque

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. Since you had an attic retraction pocket, they must have done a modified radical mastoidectomy with an open cavity technique. Discharge is one of the frequent problems of a mastoid cavity. Does your doctor plan to do a second look surgery? Can...  Read Full »

Can I get an ear infection after undergoing a tympanoplasty and a mastoidectomy?

Query: Hello doctor, I am having dizziness and fainting-like sensations along with intense itching in both the ears. I had my husband help me take photos with our otoscope I purchased online. The pictures with redness on them are my right ear, and the pictures without the redness and the yellow tube are my...  Read Full »


Dr. Ashok Kumar Srivastava

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. You are likely to have an acute labyrinthitis with acute inflammation of your right ear. If you had such attacks previously, then an examination and investigations of your concerned ear is a must to finalize the diagnosis for a proper...  Read Full »

I have constant ear discharge after an eardrum surgery. Please advise.

Query: Hello doctor, I have an eardrum perforation since childhood. I had tympanoplasty done last year but, that failed. Now, the ear keeps discharging all the time. I completed a course of Ciprofloxacin and Dexatops ear drops but after a week, the discharge is back. Please advise.  Read Full »


Dr. Vinay. S. Bhat

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. A recurrent ear discharge after a failed tympanoplasty needs to be evaluated completely. The causes can be a reservoir of infection in your mastoid bone, resistant organism, Eustachian tube dysfunction, etc.The permanent treatment is a revision tympanoplasty usually do...  Read Full »

What are the ear conditions that might require complete or partial removal of the inner and middle ear?

Query: Hello doctor, I just have a general theoretical question. This is not related to my medical history, I was just wondering in general. How much of the ear is it possible to completely remove? Both inner and outer ear. What kind of conditions requires this kind of an operation? What after effects can...  Read Full »


Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. In a surgery called radical mastoidectomy, we remove both inner and middle ear and occlude the canal. We do it in cases of malignancies of the ear, where you cannot remove the disease as well as preserve hearing. In earlier days, radical mastoidectomy was done for cho...  Read Full »

Is it possible to hear normally after a radical mastoidectomy without any hearing aid?

Query: Hello doctor, When a radical mastoidectomy is performed, does the skin in the ear canal get removed? After the operation, what happens with the hole where the outer ear once was present? Is it possible to hear anything after a radical mastoidectomy (without any hearing aid)? Is it possible to insert...  Read Full »


Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. In radical mastoidectomy, we remove the posterior meatal wall, which is the back wall of the external ear canal. The rest of the canal will be intact. After a few weeks of operation, skin from the external ear canal will grow through the posterior opening into the ma...  Read Full »

My stepfather had mastoidectomies. Is hydrogen peroxide safe for him to clear ear wax?

Query: Hello doctor, My 84-year old stepfather had, apparently, two radical left-ear wall-up mastoidectomies in the late 50s and 60s. The second was done to fix the poor job done by the first at a county hospital for the indigent. Recently, caregivers said they were planing on using hydrogen peroxide in h...  Read Full »


Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. As I understand, your father had undergone two ear surgeries when he was in his 30s or so. He would have either undergone canal wall up or canal wall down mastoidectomies. Radical and modified radical come under CWD, and cortical comes under CWU mastoidectomies. Anyw...  Read Full »

If I get facial nerve damage during mastoidectomy, is there a chance of repair?

Query: Hello doctor, I am about to undergo a mastoidectomy next month, due to long term cholesteatoma (over five years). The surgery will entail removing a large amount of the mastoid bone. Of course, with this surgery comes the risk of damage through an incision of the facial nerve. This worries me a lot...  Read Full »


Dr. Syed Peerzada Tehmid Ul Haque

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. The risk of facial nerve injury even in revision mastoid surgeries is less than 10 %. However, if there is cholesteatoma sitting on the facial nerve or facial canal is dehiscent, there is more susceptibility to FN (facial nerve) damage. Is there any prior facial wea...  Read Full »

What can be done for adhesive otitis with SOM?

Query: Hello doctor, I am 33 years old, male. I am diagnosed with right adhesive otitis with left SOM. Already mastoidectomy was done in right ear nine years back and two myringotomies in right ear when I was 4 and 7 years of age. I have CT scan report, audiometry, impedance test results.  Read Full »


Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N

Answer: Hi, Welcome to iclinq.com. Can you upload audiometry report? What are the complaints now? Is there discharge or hearing deficit? Any pain or giddiness? Nose CT seems fine (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Ear shows mastoiditis. Have they done an ear under microscope examination? If...  Read Full »

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