ENT - Mastoidectomy

What is a Mastoidectomy?

The mastoid is part of the skull that is behind the ear and contains an air filled space. This is connected to the middle ear (space behind the ear drum). The mastoid can become infected by lots of infections or a very bad infection of the middle ear.

A mastoidectomy is an operation to remove infection or a build- up of dead skin (cholesteatoma) from the middle ear and mastoid. The operation is done under a general anaesthetic which means you are asleep.

Risks

Hearing Loss

There is a chance that your hearing will be worse after the operation. Your surgeon will do everything possible to protect your hearing during the operation and will explain how likely this is to happen when talking to you about your specific operation and expectations.

Dizziness

You can sometimes feel dizzy for a couple of weeks after this operation and if there are any complications, the dizziness may last longer.

Infection

Infection can sometimes happen after this operation, but it is rare. An infection after the operation can sometimes be treated with tablet antibiotics and eardrops or cream but if it is more severe, you may need to come into hospital for close observation and strong antibiotics through an intravenous drip. On very rare occasions, another operation is necessary to clear the infection.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a ringing, buzzing or other unusual sound which can occur in one or both ears. After an operation on the ears, there is a small chance that you will experience tinnitus but this may improve once the ear has fully recovered.

Altered taste

The nerve that supplies the taste buds in the tongue can sometimes be affected by surgery. Patients sometimes experience a metallic taste or a numb feeling on their tongue, but this usually improves over time once the post-operative swelling and bruising has settled down.

Facial weakness

The nerve that moves the face runs very close to the area of the operation. It is possible for this nerve to be injured during the operation although very unlikely. If the nerve were injured you may not be able to move your face on the side of the operation. This could be temporary or permanent. The chance of a permanent facial weakness is about 1 in 1000.

Recurrence of Infection

Unfortunately, sometimes infection can come back and occasionally patients need further surgery.

After the operation

You can usually go home on the same day as the operation and someone will need to collect you from the hospital and stay with you overnight for the first night.

You might have a bandage over your ear after the operation. The staff on the ward will advise you on when this should be removed.

There will also be small dressings inside your ear. These can sometimes be left to dissolve on their own over time but sometimes will need to be removed in clinic after a few weeks.  When having a bath or shower, it is very important that you keep your ear dry by using cotton wool covered in Vaseline to block the ear off.

There might be some stitches behind your ear. Before you go home, the ward nurses will advise you whether these need to be removed or if they can be left to dissolve. If the stitches are dissolvable, they can take about two weeks to disappear.

We recommend that you do not travel by aeroplane for 3 months after your operation so that we can be sure that everything has healed and that the changes in pressure when flying won’t cause any damaging effects.

Contact Numbers

If you have any questions or problems, please contact:

Rachel Parks
ENT Specialist Nurse
rachel.parks@nca.nhs.uk

Ear, Nose, and Throat (E.N.T.) Dept - 0161 206 4758