hearing defects
2007-04-03 10:07:51 · 2 answers · asked by angela w 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
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.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001050.htm
2007-04-03 10:20:58 · answer #1 · answered by Sancira 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cholesteatoma can cause conductive (vs. nerve) hearing loss due to blockage of the outer ear (the ear canal). An ENT can remove one in a very simple outpatient procedure, and that will restore hearing..
2007-04-03 17:13:31 · answer #2 · answered by boogeywoogy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋