title: Intracranial complications of acute otitis media and Gradenigo's syndrome.
abstract: We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl with acute otitis media complicated by acute mastoiditis, epidural empyema, thrombosis of the sigmoid sinus and paralysis of the abducens nerve. The patient underwent a mastoidectomy on the left side combined with drainage of the epidural empyema through an extended burr holl and received intravenous antibiotics for 6 weeks and anticoagulation for 12 weeks. This report discusses the intracranial complications of acute otitis media, which were a common problem before the advent of adequate antibiotic drugs but have become rare since their introduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colpaert
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van Rompaey
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vanderveken
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venstermans
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boudewyns
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Menovsky
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de Veuster
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van de Heyning
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hamans
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008417:Mastoiditis / Q000150:complications; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications*; D059270:Petrositis / Q000150:complications*