Mastoidectomy & Ear Infection Care in Delhi: When a Discharging Ear Needs Surgery
Many patients who come to my clinic in Vasant Vihar tell the same story. One ear has been discharging on and off for months, sometimes for years. Drops help for a while, the ear dries up, and then the discharge returns with the next cold or after water gets in during a bath. Somewhere along the way someone mentions an operation called mastoidectomy, and the worry begins. Chronic ear infection is common in India. A meta-analysis of Indian studies found chronic suppurative otitis media, the medical name for a long-standing discharging ear with a hole in the eardrum, in about 3.78% of children. Most of these ears can be treated without surgery. Some cannot, and leaving them untreated can cost hearing or, rarely, lead to serious complications. This guide to mastoidectomy and ear infection care in Delhi explains how an ENT tells the two apart, what the operation actually involves, and what recovery looks like. Why some ear infections never settle Most ear infections clear on their ow...