mastoido-, mastoid- +
(Greek: breast; used in the specialized sense as "of or pertaining to the breast-shaped mastoid process of the temporal bone)
The atlas is the first vertebra in the neck. It supports the head at the base of the skull and is also known as the first cervical vertebra.
The mastoid was once thought to look like a breast; hence its name.
The auditory, or acoustic, meatus consists of two passages in the ear; the external acoustic meatus leads from the auricle to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and the internal acoustic meatus which is for the passage of nerves and blood vessels.
2. The nipple-like projection of the petrous (hard, stony) part of the temporal bone or a very complex bone situated in the side of the skull of most mammals and containing the organ of hearing.Mastoid air cells are open, air-containing spaces in the skull, behind the ear.
The surgery used to be a common way to treat an infection in the mastoid air cells, which usually came from an ear infection that spread to the nearby bone in the skull.
Mastoidectomy is now seldom needed because the infections are commonly treated with antibiotics; however, this surgery may be used to treat other problems; such as, cholesteatoma, complications of the otitis media, or used as a surgical approach for cochlear implant insertion.
Mastoiditis more often follows a sore throat and a respiratory infection, but it can also be caused by diseases such as diphtheria, measles, and scarlet fever. Symptoms include earache and a ringing in the ears.
The auditory, or acoustic, meatomastoidectomies consists of two passages in the ear; the external acoustic meatus leads from the auricle to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and the internal acoustic meatus which is for the passage of nerves and blood vessels.