Cholesteatoma is a type of cyst located in the middle ear.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Cholesteatoma can be a birth defect (congenital), but it more commonly occurs as a complication of chronic ear infection.
Long-term swelling in the eustachian tube leads to negative pressure in the middle ear. This pulls a part of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) in the wrong way, creating a sac or cyst that fills with old skin cells and other waste material. The cyst becomes infected. The cyst may cause the some ear bones to waste away.
An ear exam may show a pocket or perforation (opening) in the eardrum, often with drainage. The deposit of old skin cells may be visible with an otoscope, a special instrument to view the ear.
The following tests may be performed to rule out other causes of dizziness.
Review Date: 8/3/2006
Reviewed By: Alden J. Pearl, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, State University of New York Health Science Center atBrooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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General ENT
