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What Is It?

 

What is a cholesteatoma, and where does it come from?

Description

A cholesteatoma is a skin growth that occurs in an abnormal location, the middle ear behind the eardrum.

There are three ways that a cholesteatoma can form in the middle ear.

  1. A perforation of the eardrum caused by trauma or chronic infection. Instead of normally healing, the skin of the eardrum grows through the hole into the middle ear.
  2. Some patients are born with small pieces of skin, which become entrapped within the middle ear called congenital cholesteatoma.
  3. The most common cause is a malfunctioning Eustachian tube.

The problem occurs when dead cells accumulate in the middle ear and can not be expelled. Cholesteatomas are NOT a form of cancer. They are benign growths that can destroy the bones of hearing as they grow due to the enzymes they produce.

Cholesteatomas actively erode bone because of these enzymes, which are activated by moisture. In time, they will eventually erode the bone leading into the inner ear. This can cause nerve loss and deafness, as well as, severe imbalance, dizziness and paralysis of the face. Erosion can also occur in the thin plate of bone that separates the roof of the ear from the brain. This exposes the covering of the brain, which in extreme situations, can lead to meningitis, brain abscess and other severe complications.

 

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Send mail to Lisa with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 03/20/04
The Cholesteatoma Resources web site offers and provides information of a general nature about cholesteatoma. The information provided is not intended to replace surgical or medical advice or recommendations. Any information in the messages, postings or articles on the web site should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a medical professional to address individual medical needs. Individuals' particular facts and circumstances will determine the treatment which is most appropriate.

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