title: Bilateral skull base osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent patient.
abstract: A 75-year-old immunocompetent man presented to our office with right otalgia. After a comprehensive workup, he was found to have right temporal bone osteomyelitis and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He then began to experience left-sided otalgia and was diagnosed with and treated for left temporal bone osteomyelitis. Subsequently, he began to exhibit myelopathic symptoms, and imaging revealed a C2 inflammatory process. The patient underwent endoscopic transoral odontoidectomy with resection of a large C1 to C2 pannus and recovered with no neurologic deficit. Skull base osteomyelitis is an uncommon condition that usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are of utmost importance in managing this condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 925 Chestnut St., 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leventhal
authors.forename: Thomas O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Willcox
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Finden
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D019291:Skull Base