Following exenteration of the mastoid cells and removal of the posterior wall of the external auditory canal, creation of a large open tympanomastoid cavity. The malleus and incus are removed, the eustachian tube is obliterated, and a meatoplasty is carried out. In the modified radical mastoidectomy technique, the tympanic membrane and the ossicular chain are reconstructed, preserving the aeration of the tympanic cavity.

A radical mastoidectomy is mainly carried out in chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma. However, it has been replaced by modified radical mastoidectomy in present-day otology, with some exceptions.

On this temporal bone, a limited radical mastoidectomy has already been accomplished. The posterior and superior walls of the external auditory canal have been removed and the mastoid cortex and cells have been extirpated. In addition, the malleus and incus have been removed. The critical structures, including subiculum and sinus tympani, encountered during this procedure are shown in the following figures.

MT: Mastoid tip

TL: Temporal line

ZR: Zygomatic root