A brief history of mastoidectomy

Abstract

Summary Aim: To describe to the new generation of otologists the origins of mastoidectomy as well as the difficulties our predecessors encountered and the solutions they devised to improve otologic surgery. Method: Retrospective literature review-based study. Results: Before the mid-19th century, mastoidectomy was performed only sporadically and in most cases as a desperate attempt to save the lives of people suffering from complications of infectious otitis. The drainage of acute abscesses became a common procedure at the beginning of the 20th century, within the pre-antibiotic era. The first documented surgical incision to drain an infected ear was described by the French physician Ambroise Paré in the 16th century. The credit for performing the first mastoidectomy for the removal of purulent secretions went to Jean-Louis Petit. Mastoidectomies were normally performed to treat infections. However, mastoidectomies were also carried out for other purposes, particularly for the treatment of deafness and tinnitus, during various periods. Sir Charles Ballance credited Johannes Riolanus with recommending mastoidectomy for the treatment of tinnitus. William Wilde began the era of modern mastoidectomy with his introduction of the eponymous retroauricular incision. Conclusion: Mastoidectomy has evolved significantly throughout its history. Improvements in mastoidectomy have relied on the introduction of more elaborate surgical procedures, especially the advances in surgical equipment during the last century. Mastoidectomy continues to be a life-saving surgical procedure.

Differentiating between rhinosinusitis and mastoiditis surgery from postmortem medical training: A study of two identified skulls and hospital records from early 20th century Coimbra, Portugal

“…Knowledge of surgery to relieve mastoid process infection in the past is also rare. Despite documentation of mastoidectomies in clinical studies since the 16th century (Bento and Fonseca, 2013), only a few examples have been described in paleopathological literature (Table 1). The reasons why this is a reality are not very clear but the need for specific anatomical and surgical knowledge in the past, poor preservation of the frontal and maxillary bones and mastoid processes in archaeological contexts, or the lack of interest of anthropologists to investigate these particular cases in identified samples may be pointed out as possibilities.…”

Evolution and Stagnation of Image Guidance for Surgery in the Lateral Skull: A Systematic Review 1989–2020

“…A clinical need for a non-invasive, anatomy-independent, and accurate means of anatomy localization and instrument navigation during lateral skull surgery has been reported from the early stages of standardized surgery in the lateral skull in the late nineteenth century and continuously since then ( 74 ). Methods have been sought in vain to reduce the risk of iatrogenic injury to anatomical structures, in particular, to the facial nerve ( 74 ). Over the last three decades, work on an image guidance-based solution has been carried out under continuous clinical evaluation.…”

Awareness of an Primitive Art for Treating Otological Diseases in Present Covid-19 Scenario: Need of the Hour

“…In 1873, Schwartze defined the concept of a standard surgical procedure for mastoidectomy, recommending the use of a chisel and hammer to remove the bone in such a way that the antrum could be properly inspected and efficiently drained [ 1 ]. Bondy described the use of curettes and gouges in surgery [ 2 ]. As stated by Dhruv et al in their study mastoidectomy results in gross contamination of surgical site at 1 and 3 ft in all directions [ 3 ].…”