MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Mastoiditis

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Mastoiditis

Contents of this page:
Illustrations Definition Causes, incidence, and risk factors Symptoms Signs and tests	Treatment Expectations (prognosis) Complications Calling your health care provider Prevention

Illustrations

Mastoiditis - side view of head

Mastoiditis - redness and swelling behind ear

Mastoidectomy - series

Definition Return to top

Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone of the skull.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top

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 Return to top

ear pain or discomfort
- earache
- 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 Return to top

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 Return to top

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) Return to top

Mastoiditis is curable with treatment but may be hard to treat and may recur.

Complications Return to top

recurrence
partial or complete hearing loss of the affected ear
destruction of the mastoid bone
spread of infection to the brain or throughout the body
epidural abscess

Calling your health care provider Return to top

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 Return to top

Prompt and complete treatment of ear infections reduces the risk of developing mastoiditis.

Update Date: 7/30/2003

Updated by: Jason Newman, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Washington, DC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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