Learn About Cholesteatoma
Cholesteatoma is a type of skin cyst that is located in the middle ear and mastoid bone in the skull.
Chronic ear infection - cholesteatoma; Chronic otitis media - cholesteatoma
Cholesteatoma can be a birth defect (congenital). It more commonly occurs as a result of chronic ear infection.
The eustachian tube helps equalize pressure in the middle ear. When it is not working well, negative pressure can build up and pull part of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) inward. This creates a pocket or cyst that fills with old skin cells and other waste material.
The cyst may become infected or get bigger. This can cause the breakdown of some of the middle ear bones or other structures of the ear. This can affect hearing, balance, and possibly the function of the facial muscles.
Symptoms include:
- Dizziness
- Drainage from the ear, which can be chronic
- Hearing loss in one ear
- Sensation of ear fullness or pressure
Cholesteatomas very often continue to grow if they are not removed. Surgery is most often successful. However, you may need the ear cleaned by a health care provider from time to time. Another surgery may be needed if the cholesteatoma comes back.
Proliance Surgeons
Trac Duong, MD, practices all aspects of adult and pediatric otolaryngology. He is subspecialty-trained in otology and neurotology and specializes in treating patients with complex diseases of the ear and skull base. He performs microsurgery, including endoscopic ear surgery, to treat hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforation, otosclerosis, chronic ear infections, cholesteatoma, vestibular schwannoma and tumors of the ear and skull base. He has over 10 years of experience performing cochlear implant surgery and working with implantable hearing technology. He also treats patients with peripheral vestibular disorders such as Meniere's disease.He believes that excellent and compassionate care starts with listening and taking the time to educate his patients so they can be more effective partners in their own care. He considers it a privilege to care for his patients. Dr. Duong is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cholesteatoma. His top areas of expertise are Infant Hearing Loss, Cholesteatoma, DFNB1, and Jones Syndrome.
Proliance Ear Nose Throat & Allergy Associates
Douglas Backous, MD, is a board-certified neurotologist specializing in treating conditions of the ear and skull base. For more than 22 years, Dr. Backous has provided leading edge treatments for patients with hearing loss, deafness, chronic ear infections, cholesteatoma acoustic neuromas and facial nerve disorders. His professional passion is ensuring access to care for patients who choose to hear with cochlear implants, brainstem implants, Baha and other hearing devices. He treats adults and children. His medical research interests focus on implantable hearing device program efficiency for improved patient access and program viability. Dr. Backous is a member of the Proliance Surgeons Board of Directors. He is also the program director for the Seattle Advanced Otology Fellowship at Puget Sound ENT. Both Doug (’84) and his wife, Julie (’86), are alumni of Seattle Pacific University, where he previously served as Board Chair. They have three adult children. Dr. Backous is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cholesteatoma. His top areas of expertise are Cholesteatoma, Acoustic Neuroma, Schwannoma, and Infant Hearing Loss.
Tomomi Fukuda-Yamamoto practices in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Fukuda-Yamamoto is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Cholesteatoma. Her top areas of expertise are Cholesteatoma, Otitis, Mouth Sores, and Mouth Ulcers.
Complications may include:
- Brain abscess (rare)
- Erosion into the facial nerve (causing facial paralysis)
- Meningitis
- Spread of the cyst into the brain
- Hearing loss
Contact your provider if ear pain, drainage from the ear, or other symptoms occur or worsen, or if hearing loss occurs.
Prompt and thorough treatment of chronic ear infection may help prevent cholesteatoma.
Summary: Adult patients referred to the ENT surgery department of the Hospices Civils de Lyon with cholesteatoma that had never been operated on. All patients will benefit from surgical management for cholesteatoma initially in the operating room under general anesthesia. The surgical technique (closed technique) is the reference technique for the management of cholesteatoma in adults. It involves a cartil...
Summary: The goal of this interventional study is to learn about the effect of mastoid process status and the method of ossicular reconstruction on the results of the procedure transcanal endoscopic management of patients with localized atticoantral cholesteatoma
Published Date: May 02, 2024
Published By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Player B. Otitis media. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 680.
Thompson LDR. Tumors of the ear. In: Fletcher CDM, ed. Diagnostic Histopathology of Tumors. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 30.