Abstract
Background
Sinusitis is a common disorder that can result in rare but serious complications including
periorbital or orbital cellulitis, intracranial abscess or meningitis, subperiosteal
scalp abscess (“Pott's puffy tumor”), osteomyelitis, and cavernous sinus thrombosis.
Case Report
We report a case of a 41-year-old man who presented to our Emergency Department with
pansinusitis. He did not obtain recommended follow-up treatment after discharge and
26 days later returned with a persistence of sinusitis, Pott's puffy tumor, and an
intracranial abscess caused by Streptococcus intermedius. The patient required multiple otolaryngological and neurosurgical interventions
and was treated with long-term antibiotic therapy.
Conclusions
Pott's puffy tumor is a complicated infection that requires intravenous antibiotic
and surgical treatment. Diagnosis is made by contrast-enhanced computed tomography
scan. Early treatment significantly contributes to favorable outcome and decreases
the risk of further complications such as epidural abscess.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 21, 2008
Accepted:
April 30,
2008
Received in revised form:
March 30,
2008
Received:
November 10,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.