Pediatric neurosurgery
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Aug 2001
Case ReportsIntracranial complications of frontal sinusitis in children: Pott's puffy tumor revisited.
The objective of the present study is to describe the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial complications of frontal sinusitis (Pott's puffy tumor) in a series of pediatric patients at our institution. A rare entity, Pott's puffy tumor has been reported in only 21 pediatric cases in the literature of the antibiotic era. The hospital records and radiographic files at Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, over the previous 16 years were retrospectively reviewed in a search for patients with the diagnosis of Pott's puffy tumor, defined as scalp swelling and associated intracranial infection. ⋯ Even severely impaired patients demonstrated full neurologic recovery. Despite the widespread use of antibiotics, neurosurgical complications of sinusitis continue to occur. A high degree of suspicion, along with prompt neurosurgical intervention and the use of appropriate antibiotics, can result in favorable outcomes in even the sickest patients.