A cholesteatoma is a non-cancerous abnormal growth of skin-like tissue in the middle ear. Cholesteatomas are rare. It can be present at birth (congenital) but usually occurs as a complication of long-standing (chronic) changes to the pressure in the ear.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/ears-nose-throat-mouth/hearing-problems/cholesteatoma