Definition

Noun: - A surgical operation to remove part or all of the mastoid bone, which is the prominent bone behind the ear. This procedure is typically performed to treat chronic ear infections or mastoiditis that do not respond to other treatments.

Usage

The term is used in medical contexts to describe a specific type of otological surgery. - The surgeon performed a mastoidectomy to eradicate the persistent infection. - After the mastoidectomy, the patient's recovery progressed well.

Advanced Usage

• Radical mastoidectomy: A complete removal of the mastoid air cells, tympanic membrane, and most middle ear structures. This is a more extensive procedure.
• Cortical mastoidectomy (simple mastoidectomy): An operation that removes the mastoid air cells while preserving the middle ear structures.

Variants and Related Words

• Mastoid (adjective): Relating to the mastoid process (e.g., mastoid pain).
• Mastoiditis (noun): Infection or inflammation of the mastoid bone, often a reason for a mastoidectomy.

Synonyms

• Mastoid surgery
• Otologic surgery (this is a broader category that includes mastoidectomy)

Notes

Mastoidectomy is a highly specialized medical term. It is a compound noun formed from "mastoid" (referring to the bone) and "-ectomy" (a suffix meaning surgical removal). It does not have common phrasal verbs or idioms associated with it in everyday language.

Noun

1. surgical removal of some or all of the mastoid process