<unk>  is the result of an infection that extends to the air cells of the skull behind the ear. Specifically, it is an inflammation of the mucosal lining of the mastoid antrum and mastoid air cell system inside the mastoid process. The mastoid process is the portion of the temporal bone of the skull that is behind the ear. The mastoid process contains open, air-containing spaces.<unk>  is usually caused by untreated acute otitis media (middle ear infection) and used to be a leading cause of child mortality. With the development of antibiotics, however,<unk>  has become quite rare in developed countries where surgical treatment is now much less frequent and more conservative, unlike former times. There is no evidence that the drop in antibiotic prescribing for otitis media has increased the incidence of<unk> , raising the possibility that the drop in reported cases is due to a confounding factor such as childhood immunizations against Haemophilus and Streptococcus. Untreated, the infection can spread to surrounding structures, including the brain, causing serious complications. While the use of antibiotics has reduced the incidence of<unk> , the risk of masked<unk> , a subclinical infection without the typical findings of<unk>  has increased with the inappropriate use of antibiotics and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Mastoiditis
Tympanites
Sinusitis
Rhinosinusitis
Aerosinusitis
Nasal vestibulitis
Vestibular adenitis
Labyrinthitis