Tympanomastoidectomy

After surgery you must keep your operated ear dry for the first 6 weeks. The best way to avoid water getting into the operated ear canal is with a clean piece of cotton wool moulded with Vaseline that can be replaced daily. You must also avoid rapid air pressure changes and anything that ‘pops’ your ears for the first 6 weeks. Flying and some overground train tunnels induce pressure changes and so are to be avoided (travelling on the London underground is fine). If you do need to fly sooner than 6 weeks after surgery (for example if you live abroad), please discuss this with us. Please avoid nose-blowing during this time, and sneeze through your mouth whenever possible. We usually recommend that you take 1-2 weeks off from work and strenuous exercise.

Tympanomastoidectomy is a safe procedure performed frequently without any problems. The nature of surgery and the anatomy involved means there are rare but documented risks of this kind of surgery. We will only ever offer an operation when we feel the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks but it is important that you know and fully understand all these risks ahead of surgery:

Bleeding, Tinnitus, Infection, Dizziness, Pain, Numbness of ear, Ear dressing reaction, Graft failure, Failure or displacement of any prosthesis, Residual ear drum perforation, scar, facial weakness (a rare but important risk to understand), Altered taste (1 in 5 temporary, permanent change very rare), No hearing improvement, Reduced hearing, Complete loss of hearing (rare), leakage of brain fluid (CSF) requiring repair to avoid meningitis, the need for further surgery.

Surgery typically takes 1-4 hours depending on the extent of the problem. You can usually go home on the same day, using routine pain relief medications. You will usually have a head bandage which can be taken off the next day at home. A pack is left in the operated ear for around 2 weeks to reduce the risk of postoperative infections. Depending on the type of packing chosen on the day you may be asked to place antibiotics drops on this for two weeks. Due to the ear packing you will usually have reduced hearing until it is removed in the clinic.