What is mastoiditis of the brain?
Mastoiditis is a bacterial infection of the mastoid air cells surrounding the inner and middle ear. The mastoid bone, which is full of these air cells, is part of the temporal bone of the skull.
Where do mastoid air cells drain?
A subperiosteal abscess usually requires a simple mastoidectomy, in which the abscess is drained, the infected mastoid cells are removed, and drainage is established from the antrum of the mastoid to the middle ear cavity.
What do the mastoid air cells communicate with?
Mastoid air cells communicate with the middle ear via the mastoid antrum and the aditus ad antrum.
What is mastoid cell disease?
Mastoiditis is an infection of the bony air cells in the mastoid bone, located just behind the ear. It is rarely seen today because of the use of antibiotics to treat ear infections. This child has noticeable swelling and redness behind his right ear because of mastoiditis.
What causes mastoid air cells?
Mastoiditis is usually caused by a middle ear infection (acute otitis media). The infection may spread from the ear to the mastoid bone of the skull. The mastoid bone fills with infected materials and its honeycomb-like structure may deteriorate.
What does fluid in the right mastoid air cells mean?
Fluid signal in the mastoid can be such an incidental finding on MRI of the brain. In only a small number of patients, this relates to inflammatory disease of the middle ear or mastoid. In a small retrospective study, the prevalence of this finding has been studied.
When do mastoid air cells form?
Mastoid cells are completely formed around 10 years of age and reach maturity between 15 and 20 years of age.
What is a mastoid air cell effusion?
Because the mastoid air cells are contiguous with the middle ear via the aditus to the mastoid antrum, fluid will enter the mastoid air cells during episodes of otitis media with effusion. Indeed, almost all cases of otitis, whether sterile or infectious, will result in fluid filling the mastoid air cells.