Diagnosis and management of acute mastoiditis in a cohort of Italian children.
OBJECTIVE
The Italian Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases created a registry to determine the management of pediatric acute mastoiditis (AM) in Italy.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of paediatricians was conducted to evaluate hospitalization due to AM in Italian pediatric wards between 1 January 2002, and 31 December 2013.


RESULTS
A total of 913 children (561 males, 61.4%) were included in this study. The annual number of AM cases significantly increased during the study period (30 in 2002 and 98 in 2013) but only among older children (≥ 4 years old; p = 0.02). AM complications occurred in 69 (7.6%) of the children and sequelae were observed in 13 (1.4%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The annual number of pediatric AM cases admitted to Italian pediatric wards increased in the past few years; this increase was strictly age-related. The risk of severe AM complications appeared relatively low, and most AM cases could be treated conservatively.
Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Commenda 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Paola
P
Marchisio
Sonia
S
Bianchini
Alberto
A
Villani
Giulia
G
Verri
Filippo
F
Bernardi
Alessandro
A
Porta
Paolo
P
Biban
Silvia
S
Caimmi
Lorenzo
L
Iughetti
Andrzej
A
Krzysztofiak
Silvia
S
Garazzino
Benedetta
B
Romanin
Filippo
F
Salvini
Laura
L
Lancella
Susanna
S
Landini
Carlotta
C
Galeone
Susanna
S
Esposito
Nicola
N
Principi
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008417:Mastoiditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
acute mastoiditis; acute otitis media; antibiotic treatment; ear; pediatric otolaryngology; pneumococcal vaccination