title: Central nervous system complications of acute tonsillitis.
abstract: Acute tonsillitis is a common infection of early childhood which may even run a self-limiting course without antibiotic therapy in some cases. Complications are encountered infrequently and rarely assume a life-threatening propensity. Central nervous system involvement has not to our knowledge been described in association with tonsillitis without local abscess formation. We describe three cases in which acute tonsillitis/peritonsillitis was complicated by major central neurological sequelae. The neurological complications encountered in young previously healthy adults were: facial palsy and hemiplegia; superior sagittal sinus thrombosis with communicating hydrocephalus and papilloedema; Guillain-Barré syndrome and facial palsy. The pathogenesis and management is discussed. All patients made satisfactory recoveries, though with minor residual neurological disabilities.
authors.affiliation: National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Brookes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010291:Paresis / Q000382:microbiology; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000382:microbiology; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000150:complications*