Automastoidectomy — a case report

Abstract

BackgroundAutomastoidectomy denotes extensive destruction of the middle ear cavity and the mastoid air cells, mimicking the appearance of a reminiscent image of the post-mastoidectomy cavity. This condition, although rare, might occur as a unique complication of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma with subsequent destruction of the posterior wall of the external auditory canal and spontaneous partial or complete evacuation of the cholesteatoma through the canal.Case presentationSeventy-year-old gentleman, a retired soldier, presented to us in the ENT OPD with right ear pain for more than a year, right ear discharge for 9 months, and a decrease in the hearing of the right ear for 6 months. The condition started 18 months ago with intermittent right otalgia; Dull aching in nature. Ten months later, the patient started to experience right-sided otorrhoea which was profuse, offensive, mucopurulent, and yellowish in color. Later on, he noticed a gradually deteriorating hearing.On examination of the right ear, there is a fleshy mass obstructing the EAC, no auricular deformity tenderness, no preauricular swelling, sinus, or deformity, and there is thinning of the skin in the right postauricular region with mild tenderness but no swelling or sinus and preserved sulcus. Otoscopic examination shows a mass obstructing the EAC found to be an everted skin tag from the posteroinferior wall of the canal. There was a widening of the canal with the destruction of the walls and the absence of the TM, the annulus tympanicum, and the ossicles with polypoidal mucosa all over the middle ear cavity.InvestigationHRCT scan of the temporal bone shows destruction of the air cells of the right mastoid cavity with the absence of the ossicles and destruction of the posterior EAC walls.ConclusionAlthough uncommon it is considered to be a known complication of Cholesteatomatous otitis media and sometime keratosis obturates with the main feature of osteogenic destruction of the posterior wall of the EAC.