H71: Cholesteatoma of middle ear

You have a cholesteatoma in your middle ear.

A cholesteatoma is also sometimes known as a pearly tumor.

The ear is a sensory organ that is used to hear and to maintain one's balance. There are 3 different areas in the ear: the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. The outer ear begins at the auricle and then becomes the external auricular canal. The end of the external auricular canal is sealed by a thin membrane. This membrane is known as the eardrum. The middle ear begins behind the eardrum. It consists of the air-filled tympanic cavity and the 3 ossicles. The middle ear is connected to the throat by a passageway. This allows air to get to the middle ear.

The auditory canal is lined with skin, but the middle ear is not. When there is a cholesteatoma in the middle ear, skin tissue grows there as it does in the auditory canal. Skin tissue can get into the middle ear if the middle ear keeps getting inflamed. One reason for repeated middle ear inflammation is that the connection to the throat is not working properly.

The cholesteatoma can result in a discharge from the ear. The cholesteatoma can grow into the surrounding tissue, destroying bone. This can also affect the ossicles. Then one’s hearing may get worse due to the cholesteatoma.