A cholesteatoma is a benign cyst of the middle ear. It usually presents with symptoms of hearing loss, dizziness and ear drainage. It can be congenital but is more commonly caused by frequent ear infections. With frequent ear infections the eustachian tubes don’t work well. The negative pressure in the tube causes the eardrum to pull the wrong way. This causes a pocket to form, and that pocket fills with old skin cells and debris and that is how the cholesteatoma is formed. The risk of the cholesteatoma is that it will break down the delicate bones of the ear and result in permanent hearing loss. So they are removed surgically to prevent any additional damage to the ear.
We see a lot of patients in our office with cholesteatoma. Many of them have hearing loss and are being monitored for recurrence because once you have a cholesteatoma you are more likely to get one again. It is important that these patients be followed closely so hearing can be preserved.
This image is from the web. You can see the cholesteatoma eroding the mastoid air cells.
Reference:
Cholesteatoma (n.d). Accessed on September 23, 2009 at https://www.google.com/health/ref/Cholesteatoma
Web image from:
http://www.bcm.edu/oto/jsolab/tngallery/pages/cholesteatoma%20with%20erosion%20into%20the%20cochlea.htm
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