Effect of C-toma surgery on hearing?

[Guest guest]

I am new to this group. I have a perforation in my left ear (which has caused a

little hearing loss) and the doctor has diagnosed a possible c-toma. This will

be confirmed at my next appointment. The perforation will not heal.

My right ear already has poor hearing as a result of a middle year disease and

surgery in my early adulthood. Therefor my hearing in my 'good' ear is of

paramount importance to me. Currently, I do not need to wear a hearing aid.

If I have to have surgery to remove a possible c-toma (which isn't obvious

except for a keratin crust trail), how might this affect my hearing in that ear,

long-term? Are they likely to want to patch the perforation which is currently

15-20% of my eardrum size?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Bernard

[Guest guest]

Bernard,My daughter (age 8) was in the same situation...perfed ear drum that wouldn't heal, c-toma diagnosed, operated on about 6 weeks ago. If you do have a c-toma, your hearing will all depend on what they find when they do the surgery, and it is practically impossible to predict. My daughter's c-toma had eaten away at two of her three ossicles, so the surgeon did some reconstruction, hopefully will do more at her second-look surgery in December (to see if they the c-toma recurs). She had lost about half her hearing in that ear before the surgery...we are hopeful that it will improve, or at least not get worse. He did not fix the perforation in her eardrum, but maybe he will at the next surgery? There is also the school of thought that the perf helps equalize the pressure in your ears, so if your c-toma is ultimately the result of poor eustachian tube function, the perf is actually helpful. It is a lot to digest, but reading about others' experiences will hopefully help you feel less alone. I had never heard of cholesteatoma before my daughter was diagnosed, so I am a newbie as well. Good luck.DianeOn May 29, 2011, at 11:16 AM, contactb.today wrote:I am new to this group. I have a perforation in my left ear (which has caused a little hearing loss) and the doctor has diagnosed a possible c-toma. This will be confirmed at my next appointment. The perforation will not heal.My right ear already has poor hearing as a result of a middle year disease and surgery in my early adulthood. Therefor my hearing in my 'good' ear is of paramount importance to me. Currently, I do not need to wear a hearing aid.If I have to have surgery to remove a possible c-toma (which isn't obvious except for a keratin crust trail), how might this affect my hearing in that ear, long-term? Are they likely to want to patch the perforation which is currently 15-20% of my eardrum size?Any comments would be appreciated.Bernard

[Guest guest]

totally depends on the size and location of cholesteatoma. If the ossicles remain intact, then chances of decent hearing are pretty good. Sometimes, though, the cholesteatoma erodes them, and you are actually hearing through the mass instead. If that is the case, you would experience some hearing loss, but even this can often be rebuilt. Wait and see what the outcome is when and if you need surgery.

On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 11:16 AM, contactb.today <bernbrooks@...> wrote:

I am new to this group. I have a perforation in my left ear (which has caused a little hearing loss) and the doctor has diagnosed a possible c-toma. This will be confirmed at my next appointment. The perforation will not heal.

My right ear already has poor hearing as a result of a middle year disease and surgery in my early adulthood. Therefor my hearing in my 'good' ear is of paramount importance to me. Currently, I do not need to wear a hearing aid.

If I have to have surgery to remove a possible c-toma (which isn't obvious except for a keratin crust trail), how might this affect my hearing in that ear, long-term? Are they likely to want to patch the perforation which is currently 15-20% of my eardrum size?

Any comments would be appreciated.Bernard------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Bernard,Each case varies as Diane has said. To give you some positive news-In my case I was down to 90 decibels which is considered severe hearing loss. My Neurotologist said I had a "big smokin'" hole in my ear drum, in fact he said if it weren't from some scar tissue, I wouldn't have an ear drum. I have had two surgeries in my ears, one at 9 to repair both ear drums and the one almost 2 years ago. The one in Aug. '09 was to remove a c-toma, cholesterol granuloma, remove damaged mastoid, scrap hearing bones, and rebuild ear drum. I now have only 30 decibel loss. So, my hearing has improved and so far with check-ups every 3 months, now every 6 months; I have no signs of re growth and almost perfect hearing! There is hope-so good luck and I pray yours is as successful.Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®From: Diane DeCaprio <dianedecaprio@...>Sender: cholesteatoma Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 14:45:17 -0400<cholesteatoma >Reply cholesteatoma Subject: Re: Effect of C-toma surgery on hearing? Bernard,My daughter (age 8) was in the same situation...perfed ear drum that wouldn't heal, c-toma diagnosed, operated on about 6 weeks ago. If you do have a c-toma, your hearing will all depend on what they find when they do the surgery, and it is practically impossible to predict. My daughter's c-toma had eaten away at two of her three ossicles, so the surgeon did some reconstruction, hopefully will do more at her second-look surgery in December (to see if they the c-toma recurs). She had lost about half her hearing in that ear before the surgery...we are hopeful that it will improve, or at least not get worse. He did not fix the perforation in her eardrum, but maybe he will at the next surgery? There is also the school of thought that the perf helps equalize the pressure in your ears, so if your c-toma is ultimately the result of poor eustachian tube function, the perf is actually helpful. It is a lot to digest, but reading about others' experiences will hopefully help you feel less alone. I had never heard of cholesteatoma before my daughter was diagnosed, so I am a newbie as well. Good luck.DianeOn May 29, 2011, at 11:16 AM, contactb.today wrote:I am new to this group. I have a perforation in my left ear (which has caused a little hearing loss) and the doctor has diagnosed a possible c-toma. This will be confirmed at my next appointment. The perforation will not heal.My right ear already has poor hearing as a result of a middle year disease and surgery in my early adulthood. Therefor my hearing in my 'good' ear is of paramount importance to me. Currently, I do not need to wear a hearing aid.If I have to have surgery to remove a possible c-toma (which isn't obvious except for a keratin crust trail), how might this affect my hearing in that ear, long-term? Are they likely to want to patch the perforation which is currently 15-20% of my eardrum size?Any comments would be appreciated.Bernard