Cholesteatoma
Definition
Cholesteatoma is a type of cyst located in the middle ear.
Causes
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.
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