Mastoiditis

Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone, a honey-combed air cell system behind the ear that connects to the middle ear space. The infection may be acute or chronic.

This sudden, rapid infection can be life-threatening and should be treated as a medical emergency, usually requiring urgent surgical therapy. Chronic infection can trigger a perforation of the eardrum and recurrent drainage, called chronic otitis media. Antibiotics may help to resolve these symptoms, but in many cases, a mastoidectomy (surgical removal of the infected bone) is required to restore ear health.