Swimming with a mastoid cavity: what are the risks?

The authors have found no studies and little guidance in the literature on the advisability of people swimming with a modified radical mastoid cavity. Two groups of such outpatients were therefore followed up at 2-monthly intervals for 6 months. One group of 56 patients swam (81% without ear protection) and the other group of 55 patients maintained their ears quite dry. Swimming did not increase the incidence of an infected mastoid cavity. The most important risk of swimming was vertigo which occurred in 5% of swimmers.