Acute Suppurative Otitis Media: An Unusual Cause of Orbital Apex Syndrome

Abstract

We report the case of a 40-year-old female who presented to us with earache and a rapidly progressive painful ophthalmoplegia involving the right eye with right temporal swelling. A clinical and radiological assessment revealed it to be temporal cellulitis with orbital apex syndrome secondary to acute otitis media. In spite of prompt initiation of treatment, the patient died within 30 hr of presentation. The case is discussed in detail with a brief review of medical literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Acute otitis media
• ophthalmoplegia
• orbital apex syndrome
• temporal bone osteomyelitis