Cholesteatoma

 

What is it?

It is a mass of skin scales and debris in the middle ear.

What effect does it have?

1. It can block sound waves, causing a conductive hearing loss
2. It can damage the ossicles, causing a permanent hearing loss
3. It can damage the facial nerve which runs through the middle ear.
4. If left untreated it will continue to grow, damaging or even destroying the ear, and even growing into the brain and surrounding tissue. There is also a potential risk of meningitis.

What causes it?

Possible causes include:
1. long-term dysfunction of the eustachian tube causing negative air-pressure in the middle ear
2. otitis media (middle-ear infection)
3. growth of the skin in the ear canal through a hole in the eardrum
4. growth of the skin in the middle ear

What is the treatment?

 Surgery to remove the growth. If the growth has damaged the ossicles, then reconstructive surgery may be necessary.

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