Mastoiditis

Also known as: mastoid infection.

What is mastoiditis?

The mastoid is the portion of the bony skull that is located behind the ear. The mastoid bone is quite porous and can be prone to infection. When an infection spreads to the mastoid bone it is call mastoiditis.

What causes mastoiditis?

Mastoiditis results from an infection of the middle ear called acute otitis media (AOM). This infection of the middle ear can spread to and infect the mastoid bone resulting in mastoiditis.

What are the symptoms of mastoiditis?

Symptoms of mastoiditis include fever, ear pain and/or drainage, muffled hearing and redness, swelling and/or pain behind the ear.

What are mastoiditis care options?

The treatment of mastoiditis includes intravenous antibiotics. In more severe cases surgery is needed to drain the infection. This is accomplished by placing an ear tube in the ear drum and/or removing a portion of the mastoid bone.


Reviewed by: Sandeep P Dave, M.D.

This page was last updated on: September 06, 2019 09:12 AM