Complications of surgical procedures
As with any surgical procedure, mastoidectomy also involves risks and in rare cases can lead to complications. The facial nerve (nervus facialis) runs through the surgical site. A microscope is used during the operation to locate the facial nerve and to prevent accidental injury.
Nevertheless, damage cannot be completely excluded. If the facial nerve is injured in spite of being spared, this can lead to a so-called peripheral facial nerve paresis, i.e. a functional disorder of the facial nerve, with a resulting unilateral facial paralysis. The symptoms that then appear include, for example, a one-sided loss of function of the mimic muscles (facial muscles) and an inability to frown on the affected side.
The closure of the mouth can also be affected and a drooping corner of the mouth can be observed on one side. If an operation is chosen as a therapy for mastoiditis, in extremely rare cases a subsequent impairment of hearing can also occur. In exceptional cases, dizziness and deafness have also been observed as complications.
Postoperative behavior
The inflammation usually heals within a few weeks. During this time, the ear must be protected from water as much as possible. Thanks to bathing caps or so-called floating earmoulds, which can be purchased in a hearing aid store, there is no need to forego bathing or swimming.
Also circumstances where pressure fluctuations are to be expected, such as travel by plane, should be avoided in the first instance. Due to operations on the ear, it is inevitable that the sensitivity of the inner ear will increase. Some substances that are not beneficial to the human inner ear even under normal conditions are particularly harmful after an operation.Nicotine is one of these substances. Therefore, smoking should be avoided as far as possible after a mastoidectomy.
Alternative treatment options for mastoiditis
Only at the beginning of a mastoiditis with still slightly pronounced symptoms, an alternative is to administer a high dose of antibiotics into a vein (intravenous antibiotic therapy) and additionally to perform an incision of the eardrum (paracentesis).
