How horrible is it to let a cholesteatoma go untreated?

Can be harmful: Cholesteatoma is a destructive, abnormal tissue growth that typically occurs in the middle ear. Left untreated, cholesteatoma can eat into nearby bones, resulting in nerve deterioration, deafness, imbalance, and vertigo. Because of it’s potential to cause central nervous system complications by damaging the brain and/or spinal cord, it is a potentially fatal disease,