[Acute external mastoiditis in children: report of a series of 48 cases].
METHODS
To determine the impact of the emergence of penicillin-resistant strains of pneumococci on the frequency of acute mastoiditis in children, and to assess the importance of laboratory and imaging studies in the treatment of acute mastoiditis.


METHODS
Retrospective review of the medical records of children with postauricular swelling and otoscopic signs of acute otitis media from January 1993 through December 2000.


RESULTS
Forty-eight children aged three months to 14 years (median 17 months) were identified. The number of cases was almost the same from one year to another. All children had bacteriological examinations. The mastoid pus and the otorrhea was sterile in 22 cases. The most frequent pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae (17 cases), which was resistant to penicillin in 71% of cases. The initial body temperature, the number of polymorphonuclears and the CRP were not different between the group of 18 children with periostitis, which required medical treatment alone, and the group of 30 children who had a mastoid abscess which required surgery. The difference between periostitis and mastoid abscess was seen on clinical examination and CTscan.
François
M
M
Service ORL, hôpital Robert-Debré, faculté Xavier-Bichat, 48, boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France. martine.francois@rdb.ap-hop-paris.fr
Van den Abbeele
T
T
Viala
P
P
Narcy
P
P
D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008417:Mastoiditis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents