The concept of occult mastoiditis is:

(1) When acute suppurative otitis media is incompletely treated or antibiotics are insufficiently administered, and although symptoms and signs are relieved or completely disappear, the lesion within the mastoid continues to develop, this state is called occult mastoiditis.

(2) Localized lesions that remain undetected for a long time can eventually penetrate the wall of the mastoid bone, leading to serious intracranial and extracranial complications.

(3) For patients with acute suppurative otitis media whose tympanic membrane has healed, if hearing does not improve after treatment, mild pressure pain in the mastoid region, or if they still feel generalized malaise, they should be alert to this disease.

(4) CT scan of the mastoid can clearly show the shadow of inflammatory lesions, which has important diagnostic significance.