Though non-surgical treatments are always the first line of treatment, chronic middle ear problems often require surgery to relieve pressure, drain fluids, and repair eardrum problems. When you or your child need a middle ear or mastoid surgery, you can rely on the surgical skill and expertise of the team at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC. If you need help with ongoing ear pain, call the office in Grand Junction, Montrose, or Gunnison, Colorado, or book an appointment online today.
Two ear diseases that often require middle ear or mastoid surgery are:
Middle ear infections occur when the space behind your eardrum becomes inflamed and infected. These infections often arise from a cold, the flu, allergies, blocked eustachian tubes, or enlarged adenoids.
Swelling traps fluid in the space behind the eardrum. As the fluid builds up, it presses against the eardrum. In addition to causing pain, chronic otitis media can result in a ruptured eardrum.
When you have chronic otitis media, the inflammation can spread and cause inflammation in the mastoid bone. This condition, called mastoiditis, is uncommon but may lead to an abscess, bone erosion, and hearing loss.
If you suffer a ruptured eardrum, the skin debris that normally leaves your ear with the help of earwax ends up going into your middle ear. Then the debris may build up and form a cyst called a cholesteatoma.
Over time, cholesteatomas enlarge, potentially damaging bones and causing dizziness or hearing loss.
The classic symptoms of middle ear problems include:
Severe dizziness or vertigo may cause nausea or vomiting.
These are the most common middle ear and mastoid procedures:
This surgery repairs a hole in the eardrum using a small piece of tissue.
Tympanoplasty refers to a more extensive procedure to repair the eardrum. In addition to fixing a hole, your provider may remove scar tissue and perform an ossiculoplasty.
Ossiculoplasty is a procedure to repair the tiny bones (ossicles) responsible for transmitting sound.
Tympanostomy is a procedure to cut a tiny hole in the eardrum and insert a tube. The tube reduces pressure and allows excess mucus and infected fluids to drain from the middle ear.
A mastoidectomy refers to removing part of the mastoid bone. You may need a mastoidectomy to remove a cholesteatoma or infected tissues.
Your provider may also perform a mastoidectomy to insert a cochlear implant. The team at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, uses the latest cochlear and bone-anchored implants. These implantable solutions improve hearing in people who are severely hard of hearing, deaf, or have mixed hearing loss.
If you have chronic ear pain, call your nearest office of Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, or book an appointment online today.
