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Updated: May 27, 2025
Endaural Endoscopic Atticoantrotomy Retrograde Mastoidectomy using a Constant Suction Bone-drilling Technique
Published on: May 23, 2021
Surgical interventions in acute complicated mastoiditis - is a cortical mastoidectomy always required? A 5-year
N R Walker1, A Eleftheriadou1, S Mortaja1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
Anecdotally, surgical intervention for acute complicated mastoiditis within our centre differed between clinicians. We aimed to assess our outcomes and experience.
Methods:
A retrospective observational study was undertaken of children with mastoiditis without intracranial complications admitted between January 2017-September 2022. Electronic records were utilised for data collection. Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Operative intervention, length of stay (LOS), complications and 30 day readmission were analysed.
Results:
There were 101 patients with a median age of 2 years and 50 (55 %) were male. Thirty-nine patients (39 %) underwent surgery. Thirty-two patients had mastoiditis with subperiosteal abscess formation without intracranial collections. Seventeen patients (44 %) underwent cortical mastoidectomy (median LOS 5.5 days). Twenty two patients (56 %) underwent incision and drainage (I + D) of abscess plus myringotomy (median LOS 5 days), p = 0.58. The mastoidectomy group had 2 complications and the I + D group had none.
Conclusions:
For mastoiditis with local subperiosteal abscess and no intracranial component, a cortical mastoidectomy may not always be required.
