Symptoms of cholesteatoma otitis media

Cholesteatoma otitis media is a type of otitis media and is also a disease that the human body is prone to. However, compared with other types of otitis media, the incidence of this type of cholesteatoma otitis media is relatively low. And because of this, many people in reality are unaware of the existence of this disease. There are many symptoms of cholesteatoma otitis media, and many doctors diagnose this disease based on some of the symptoms.

Cholesteatoma otitis media is a type of human disease. Generally, after suffering from cholesteatoma otitis media, we should go to the hospital for treatment in time. However, based on current medical technology, there is not much effect in the treatment of cholesteatoma otitis media, and there is no specific medicine for treatment. Let’s talk about the symptoms of cholesteatoma otitis media.

In 2012, cholesteatoma otitis media was changed to middle ear cholesteatoma in the "Guidelines for Clinical Classification and Surgical Classification of Otitis Media" of the Chinese Medical Association. It was previously believed that cholesteatoma otitis media was the most severe type of chronic suppurative otitis media, but in fact this disease is the growth of squamous epithelial tissue in the middle ear and mastoid, and its formation mechanism, pathology and prognosis are different from those of chronic suppurative otitis media. The so-called cholesteatoma is an accumulation of desquamated epithelium, which grows larger and larger and continues to expand in all directions, thus causing damage to the adjacent bones and possibly causing complications to the surrounding organs. Therefore, surgery is recommended for the treatment of this disease once it is diagnosed, and the main purpose of the surgery is not to improve hearing and prevent pus discharge, but to prevent complications.

Clinical symptoms

1. May be asymptomatic: Cholesteatoma without infection may be asymptomatic in the early stages.

2. Ear discharge: Middle ear cholesteatoma without infection may not cause ear discharge. Patients with purulent otitis media may have continuous pus discharge from the ears, with varying amounts of pus. The pus often has a special foul odor, and if accompanied by granulation tissue, the pus may contain blood.

3. Hearing loss: Hearing loss may be the only complaint of cholesteatoma without infection. In the early stages, it is mostly conductive hearing loss with varying degrees of severity. Small cholesteatoma in the epitympanic cavity may result in basically normal hearing. Even if part of the auditory ossicles are destroyed, the hearing loss may not be serious because the cholesteatoma can serve as a bridge for sound transmission between the auditory ossicles. When the lesion involves the cochlea, the deafness is mixed. In severe cases, the patient may suffer from complete deafness.

4. Tinnitus: mostly caused by involvement of the cochlea.

The principles of treatment are to eradicate diseased tissue, prevent complications, and reconstruct the middle ear sound transmission structure. Surgical treatment: The primary goal is to completely remove the lesion and achieve a dry ear whenever possible. ① Epitympanic cavity opening; ② Closed surgery; ③ Open surgery; ④ Radical mastoidectomy. The choice of surgical procedure should be determined based on a comprehensive consideration of the extent of the lesion, the function of the Eustachian tube, the type and degree of hearing loss, the presence or absence of complications, and the development of the mastoid process.

The symptoms of cholesteatoma otitis media are generally manifested as: pus discharge from the ear, and in many cases the pus discharge is continuous, and the pus discharge has a foul odor, and sometimes there is rotten flesh in the place where the pus discharges; in addition, cholesteatoma otitis media can also reduce a person's hearing, and some severe patients may even become deaf, which is very serious. Therefore, our patients with cholesteatoma otitis media should not receive timely treatment.