A mastoidectomy is a surgical procedure that removes diseased mastoid air cells. The mastoid is the part of your skull located behind your ear. It’s filled with air cells made of bone and looks like a honey comb. The diseased cells are often the result of an ear infection that has spread into your skull. The procedure can also be used to remove an abnormal growth of the ear known as a cholesteatoma.

There are variations of mastoidectomy procedures, including:

• simple mastoidectomy, in which your surgeon opens your mastoid bone, removes the infected air cells, and drains your middle ear
• radical mastoidectomy, in which your surgeon may remove your mastoid air cells, your eardrum, most of your middle ear structures, and your ear canal. This procedure is reserved for complicated mastoid disease.
• modified radical mastoidectomy, which is a less severe form of radical mastoidectomy that involves removing mastoid air cells along with some, but not all, middle ear structures

You can expect some hearing loss from a radical and modified radical mastoidectomy.

This surgery isn’t as common as it used to be. Antibiotics usually treat infections, but surgery is an option if antibiotics fail.

A deviated septum occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is displaced to one side. In many people, the nasal septum is off-center — or deviated — making one nasal passage smaller.

When a deviated septum is severe, it can block one side of the nose and reduce airflow, causing difficulty breathing. The exposure of a deviated septum to the drying effect of airflow through the nose may sometimes contribute to crusting or bleeding in certain people.

A nasal blockage or congestion (obstruction) can occur from a deviated nasal septum, from swelling of the tissues lining the nose or from both.

Treatment of nasal obstruction may include medications to reduce the swelling. To correct a deviated septum, you’ll need surgery.

A tonsillectomy is the removal of your tonsils. Your tonsils are located in the back of your throat. Tonsils are part of your body’s immune system, but removing them does not increase your risk for infection.

Why is a tonsillectomy done?

There are several reasons for a tonsillectomy. The two most common reasons are if:

• Your tonsils are causing difficulty in breathing during sleep. This is often seen as frequent snoring.
• You have throat infections that keep coming back (6 or more times in a year), with infected and swollen tonsils (tonsillitis).

Who gets tonsillectomies?

Although it may seem like only children need to have their tonsils taken out, adults may also benefit from having their tonsils removed.

There two main classes of surgery
• Major – Major surgeries are usually extensive and warrant an overnight or extended stay in a hospital. These surgeries include extensive work such as entering a body cavity, removing an organ or altering the body’s anatomy. Patients undergoing major surgeries usually require anesthesia or respiratory assistance and sometimes even both. Examples of major surgery include cardiac operations, any bowel cavity operations, reconstructive surgery, deep tissue procedures, any transplant procedures, as well as any surgeries in the abdomen, chest or cranium.