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The term masked mastoiditis defines a subclinical infectious inflammatory process of the mucosal lining and bony structures of the mastoid air cells with an intact tympanic membrane. The disease follows an apparently well treated recent acute otitis media. Probably due to an anaerobic colonizing flora, the developing bone infection is of low grade without pus formation. The clinical features of the disease are not overt as those in coalescent mastoiditis. The intact ear drum does not reflect the severity of bone eroding disease which is characterized by non-exudative but proliferative changes. Hence there is no pus formation. The incidence of complications is high. Plain X-ray film and CT scan do not specifically define the disease process. Bone scan indicates the bone invading nature of the mastoid infection. The osteoblastic reaction secondary to osteitis is demonstrated by the high uptake of the isotope in the involved mastoid. Antibiotics may cure the disease process but in most of the cases surgery in unavoidable.

Masked mastoiditis defines a subclinical infectious inflammatory process of the mucosal lining and the bony structure of the mastoid air cells, with intact tympanic membrane. It follows an apparently well-treated recent acute otitis media. Because of obstruction of the tympanic diaphragm by mucosal swelling, polypoid mucosa or granulation tissue, a complete separation of the tubo-tympanic cavity from the mastoid air cell system results. The latter remains unaereated and the local infectious mucosal disease progresses to osteitis. Probably due to colonizing flora in this unventilated media, the developing bone infection is low-grade, without pus formation. The clinical features of the disease are not overt as those in coalescent mastoiditis. The intact ear drum does not reflect the severity of bone-eroding disease within the mastoid. Since this disease is characterized not by exudative but by proliferative changes, there is no pus formation. The incidence of complications is high. Plain x-ray and CT scan do not specifically define the disease process, but bone scan indicates the bone-invading nature of the mastoid infection. The osteoblastic reaction secondary to osteitis is demonstrated by high uptake of the isotope in the involved mastoid. Antibiotics may cure the disease, but in most cases surgery is unavoidable.

Silent mastoiditis is a common complication of acute otitis media since the advent of antibiotics. Although most pediatric middle ear inflammations manifest themselves in both ears, otitic facial palsy almost always presents unilaterally. We report an unusual case of bilateral simultaneous facial palsy occurring during the course of a persistent otitis media in a 7-month-old child. Appropriate antibiotic therapy and insertion of ventilating tubes cleared the infectious inflammatory process, resulting in full recovery from nerve dysfunction.