1. What is cholesteatoma type otitis media? First of all, this is not a real tumor! It is just a common ear disease, because the mucosa of the middle ear cavity grows in another kind of epithelial debris accumulation to form a lesion. It is not harmful in itself, but the problem is that it can cause destruction of the surrounding bone, such as destruction of the auditory tuberosity with significant hearing loss, destruction of the facial nerve canal leading to facial palsy, destruction of the semicircular canal with vertigo, and destruction of the brain plate causing intracranial infections such as meningitis encephalitis. It is often accompanied by pus in the ear that does not heal for a long time (foul-smelling pus is its characteristic), local granulation tissue proliferation and often pus with blood, etc. 2. How is cholesteatoma treated during surgery? Because of the characteristics of cholesteatoma, the surgeon often needs to remove all the diseased tissues during the surgery, that is, all the cholesteatoma epithelium and the granulation tissue in the operation area. The biggest challenge is to remove all the cholesteatoma epithelium while preserving as much of the non-lesioned tissue as possible. For example, if the cholesteatoma epithelium is removed from the surface of the auditory tuberosity, is it still possible to leave the residual auditory tuberosity so that the patient can still hear. Who makes this decision? The surgeon makes the decision on the operating table. So the surgeon assumes this responsibility and risk for the patient. This begs the question: Can all of the cholesteatoma seen under the microscope during surgery be safely cleared? What if there are cholesteatomas that are not visible under the microscope and are still present in the bone? Will these epithelia recur if they are present? What if there is a base of cholesteatoma formation in the same area and another cholesteatoma grows in that area? So the reality is: there will always be a percentage of patients who will have a cholesteatoma in the same ear after surgery, that’s for sure, it’s just a matter of chance. What if it grows again? Then we operate again! This is true even in capitalist countries. In some countries, patients are given a second look even if there is no sign of cholesteatoma growth, which is called “second look”. In our country, there is no such economic and social basis, so we ask patients to come to the hospital for regular “follow up”, that is, every 3-6 months. 3.So, what should I do after the surgery? (1) Come to the hospital for review every 3-6 months, whichever hospital is near, but it is important to see; (2) Because the cavity is sometimes large after surgery, pay attention to the hospital to clean the cavity on time; (3) Sometimes the surgery is done in two stages, the first stage to control the flow of pus, the second stage to repair the eardrum and improve hearing, this should be handled on time; (4) Pay attention to training the function of the eustachian tube as needed, this is (4) Pay attention to training the function of the eustachian tube as needed, which is done according to the doctor’s request (join my other articles); (5) Sometimes you will get dizzy when you enter cold air or cold water, because the semicircular canal is closer to the outside, sometimes you need the doctor to confirm if this is the case.