This study comprises fifty children suffering from otitis media (OM), aged between 1-14 years with no clinical signs of mastoiditis. (Cases which showed clinical signs of mastoiditis were excluded).
All cases were subjected to general and ENTexaminations, tuning fork tests, pure tone audiornetry and radiological examination of both mastoid regions. Out of 50 patients, 10 cases showed haziness or clouding of the mastoid air cells and were, thus, diagnosed as masked mastoiditis. All the ten cases were unilaterally affected, hearing loss was mild in eight cases and moderate in two cases. Seven cases responded to injectable antibiotics while the other three needed wide myringotomy with the anti¬biotic treatment.
either by gradual spread of infec¬tion from air cell to air cell or by blockage with fluid formation and proliferation of the mucosa (Palva et al, 1985). Mastoiditis occurs when the infection spreads beyond the mucoperiosteal lining tp in¬volve the compact bone of the mastoid air cells (Richardson, 1963).
The incidence of acute mastoid¬itis has declined precipitously since the introduction of effective
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