DESCRIPTION OF SURGERY:

Your doctor has determined that you have an abnormality in your "mastoid" which requires surgery. The mastoid is a bony structure located just behind the ear. A mastoidectomy is as operation, which involves a surgical cut behind the ear and the removal of the mastoid parts.

INDICATIONS:

1. Coalescent mastoids
2. Acute otitis media with facial nerve paralysis not responding to a myringotomy
3. Extensive cholesteatoma
4. Cholesteatoma with intracranial complications
5. Early malignancy of the middle ear cleft
6. Chronic osteomyelitis of the temporal bone

BENEFITS:

Considered being the most appropriate method for management of the above pathology. The operation may help to preserve your hearing but it may not improve your hearing. Complications from the operation are not common, but they do occur. It is possible that the operation will not help you. It is even possible that you will be worse after the operation than you are now. Because of these facts your doctor can not make no guarantee as to the result that might be obtained from this operation. However, in the vast majority of patients the desired is achieved.

RISKS:

As with any operation, bleeding and infection are possible complications from this ear operation. These complications could result in prolonged illness, poor healing wounds, scarring, and the need for further operations. Very rarely, nerve damage occurs from mastoidectomy operations. This could result in weakness, pain, and numbness over half the face and the inability to move the muscles of half the face. Nerve damage can also cause permanent loss of hearing and deafness. Growths and tumor formation in the mastoid area are also rare complications, which can follow this surgery. Appearance of the ear may change after the surgery. Dizziness, ringing in the ear and other peculiar sensations in the ear are other uncommon complications of this surgery.

Some of the complications of mastoidectomy operations can require further surgery; some of the complications can result in prolonged illness and deafness. In addition to those listed, there may be some unforeseen complications with any operative procedure.

ALTERNATIVES:

There may be alternatives to this surgery available to you, such as the use of medications and delaying surgery. However, these alternative methods carry their own risk of complications and a varying degree of success. Therefore, in those patients in whom mastoidectomy is indicated, the operation provides the patient with the best chance of successful treatment and the lowest risk of complications.