If the infection continues to spread, despite antibiotic therapy, the following complications may occur: Early and proper treatment of mastoiditis is necessary to prevent the development of these life-threatening complications. Your child, in most cases, will receive antibiotics through an intravenous (IV) catheter. My daughter (9) has a bump on the right side of head behind her ear. Mastoiditis is an inflammation or infection of the mastoid bone, which is a portion of the temporal bone, or the bone behind the ear. The risk of mastoiditis is reduced with the use of antibiotics for ear infections or with ear tube placement. If you or your child has COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough or shortness of breath) or other COVID-19 concerns, call your child’s doctor or visit Children’s Online Urgent Care. Symptoms of Mastoiditis could be drainage from the ear along with pain or discomfort, fever, headache, hearing loss, redness of the ear and/or behind the ear that may cause ear to stick out. Mastoiditis may be caused by various bacteria. TTY: (414) 266-2465, Learn about COVID-19 and how we are safely providing care, Age-appropriate speech and language milestones, Foreign bodies in the ear nose and airway, Signs of problems in speech, language, and hearing, Haga clic aquí para ver esta página en español, Protrusion of the ear (the ear sticks out more), Redness or swelling of the bone behind the ear, Your child's age, overall health and medical history, Your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedure, or therapies, Expectations for the course of the condition. Fever 6. P.O. Milwaukee, WI 53226 Mastoiditis can be a mild infection or can develop into life-threatening complications. Its a prominence just behind your ear located near the fleshy part of the bottom of your ear. It is solid but goes down sometimes. The most common cause of mastoiditis is a middle ear infection that has been left untreated. Mastoiditis is a serious infection in the mastoid process, which is the hard, prominent bone just behind and under the ear. Surgery is sometimes needed to help drain the fluid from the middle ear. My recommendation would be to be seen by an ENT doctor about this. The tubes usually fall out on their own after around one year. it is very painful, it's a pain that runs all the way to my jaw. Children’s Hospital and Health System, Inc. is a charitable, tax-exempt organization 501(c)(3) Tax ID: 39-1500074. Haga clic aquí para ver esta página en español. Tympanometry, a test that can be performed in most physician offices to help determine how the middle ear is functioning. In the disease's late stages, abscesses in the neck called Bezold's abscesses How can you tell when it's more than an ear infection? It does not tell if the child is hearing or not, but helps to detect any changes in pressure in the middle ear. 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