| If the mastoiditis is left untreated or if it is treated inappropriately, it can cause severe complications, such as subperiosteal abscess, Bezold's abscess, meningitis, brain abscess, sigmoid sinus thrombophlebitis, and Gradenigo's syndrome. Left untreated, the potential complications of otitis media include otalgia, hearing loss, otorrhea, balance and coordination disturbance, acute coalescent mastoiditis, chronic mastoiditis, tympanic membrane perforation, cholesteatoma, ossicular erosion, facial nerve paralysis, meningitis, labyrinthitis, focal otitic encephalitis, lateral sinus thrombophlebitis, otitic hydrocephalus, periauricular subperiosteal abscess, Bezold's abscess, and epidural, subdural, and brain abscess. Some patients also had a postauricular fistula, meningitis, one or more intracranial abscesses, Bezold's abscess, parapharyngeal abscess, spontaneous mastoid excavitation, erosion of the facial canal at various levels, destruction of dural or sigmoid plates, or sigmoid sinus hernia. |
