Cholesteatoma

What is a cholesteatoma?

• An expanding cyst comprised of dead skin cells behind the eardrum.
• May be congenital or acquired.

What causes a cholestatoma?

• Prolonged retraction of the eardrum.
• Components of the cyst harbor bacteria, which may lead to infection.
• Expansion of the infection into the middle ear space may damage the ossicles (middle ear bones).

Symptoms:

• Ear pain, discharge from the ear, dizziness or balance disturbance.
• Gradual conductive hearing loss (hearing loss in the middle ear) may also occur.

Treatment:

• Surgical removal of the cholesteatoma may be done to prevent damage to the middle and inner ear.
• After diagnosis, your ENT physician may choose to monitor your hearing through egularly scheduled hearing tests.
• An audiologist may help alleviate hearing loss symptoms through the fitting of a hearing aid.