Lifespan's A - Z Health Information Library - Surgery & Procedures - Mastoidectomy

Mastoidectomy

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Normal anatomy

Mastoid air cells are open, air-containing spaces in one of the skull bones.

Indications

An infection of the mastoid air cells that cannot be controlled with antibiotics may call for surgical treatment.

Procedure

A mastoidectomy is the surgical removal of these mastoid air cells; the surgery may extend into the middle ear.

Review Date: 2/19/2007
Reviewed By: Alden J. Pearl, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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