Inflammation or infection of the mastoid bone, which is one of the bones of the skull that lies behind the ear.
It occurs as a result of a middle ear infection.
The most common symptoms are pain, redness or swelling behind the ear, earache, displacement of the pinna (ear) forward due to swelling of the mastoid bone, fever, irritability or nervousness, headache, and deafness.
The diagnosis will be made thanks to the medical history, physical examination (with an otoscope), imaging tests and the possibility of cultures of the ear drainage
The treatment consists of the early administration of antibiotics, although there are cases in which it can be difficult to treat, which will require a prolonged antibiotic treatment and even surgery to be able to properly drain the pus from the area.
- Lawrence R Lustig, Charles J Limb, Rachel Baden, Mary T LaSalvia. Chronic otitis media, cholesteatoma, and mastoiditis in adults. UpToDate. Aug 11, 2016.
- Chronic suppurative otitis media: Burden of illness and management options. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2004. http://www.who.int/pbd/deafness/activities/hearing_care/otitis_media.pdf (Accessed on January 13, 2011).
- Acuin, J. Chronic Suppurative otitis media. Burden of Illness and Management Options. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland, 2004. who.int/pbd/deafness/activities/hearing_care/otitis_media.pdf (Accessed on January 05, 2011).
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- Hwang GH, Jung JY, Yum G, Choi J. Tuberculous otitis media with facial paralysis combined with labyrinthitis. Korean J Audiol 2013; 17:27.
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