The mastoid bone is located behind the ear. You may be able to feel it as a hard bump behind your ear. Inside, it looks like a honeycomb, with air-filled pockets connected to the middle ear. The air in this bone allows movement of the eardrum. However, because it is connected to the middle ear, an ear infection may cause cells in this bone to become infected.
Usually, this infection is treated with antibiotics. However, if it does not respond to medication, mastoidectomy surgery may be recommended. Mastoidectomy surgery is performed to remove an infection in the mastoid bone, caused either by an ear infection or by an inflammatory disease known as cholesteotoma. During the procedure, the surgeon removes infections or growths in this bone. It is performed to prevent further damage to the ear's structure or the patient's ability to hear, and to prevent the infection from causing blood clots, a brain abscess, or meningitis.
This procedure is performed with general anesthesia, so the patient is not awake. Through an incision behind the ear, the mastoid bone is exposed, and the infection or growth it removed using a surgical drill. Then, the incision is closed using sutures.
The amount of infection present determines the amount of the mastoid bone that must be removed during surgery. A radical mastoidectomy removes most or all of the bone, and may be required to treat for extensive infection. This may substantially affect the patient's ability to hear. However, less extensive forms of mastoidectomy surgery usually leave most or all of the hearing intact.
