Mastoiditis

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Mastoiditis - side view of head


Mastoiditis - redness and swelling behind ear


Mastoidectomy - series

Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

Mastoiditis

Definition

Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone of the skull.

Causes

Mastoiditis is usually a consequence of a middle ear infection (acute otitis media). The infection may spread from the ear to the mastoid bone of the skull. The mastoid bone fills with infected materials and its honeycomb-like structure may deteriorate.

Mastoiditis most commonly affects children. Before antibiotics, mastoiditis was one of the leading causes of death in children. Now it is a relatively uncommon and much less dangerous disorder.

Review Date: 7/30/2003
Reviewed By: Jason Newman, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Washington, DC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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