messtafarian
Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2013
- Messages
- 814
Cholesteatoma is a "benign" proliferation of "keratinizing squamous epithelial cells" inside the middle ear.
According to the literature, they are caused by frequent chronic ear infections and eardrum perforations. Eventually this thing grows in your ear; they say it's "cystlike" but it contains nothing, it's just extra skin.
It is really not so benign, because it continues to grow until it either wraps around the bones in the ear or starts to invade the skull into the brain, or carry infection into the brain.
I had one most of my adult life. It was indolent and just hung around until I decided to do something about it. The only option is to get it cut out. Depending on its size when it's handled, this can involve drilling into the skull and into the mastoid bone where infection can get trapped.
I got this surgery eighteen months ago.
Now it's back.
Cholesteatoma really *often* recurs and people with this thing end up traipsing back to surgery every couple of years their whole lives.
There absolutely *has to* be an answer that is ultimately nonsurgical but I have not seem one reference to anybody trying anything at all else besides getting it removed.
Anyone with any experience with this?
According to the literature, they are caused by frequent chronic ear infections and eardrum perforations. Eventually this thing grows in your ear; they say it's "cystlike" but it contains nothing, it's just extra skin.
It is really not so benign, because it continues to grow until it either wraps around the bones in the ear or starts to invade the skull into the brain, or carry infection into the brain.
I had one most of my adult life. It was indolent and just hung around until I decided to do something about it. The only option is to get it cut out. Depending on its size when it's handled, this can involve drilling into the skull and into the mastoid bone where infection can get trapped.
I got this surgery eighteen months ago.
Now it's back.
Cholesteatoma really *often* recurs and people with this thing end up traipsing back to surgery every couple of years their whole lives.
There absolutely *has to* be an answer that is ultimately nonsurgical but I have not seem one reference to anybody trying anything at all else besides getting it removed.
Anyone with any experience with this?