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Pseudomonas cervical osteomyelitis with retropharyngeal abscess: an unusual complication of otitis media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

C A Paul
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopaedics, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK
A Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopaedics, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK
V V Raut
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK
A Garhnam
Affiliation:
Department of Vascular Surgery, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK
N Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopaedics, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK

Abstract

We present the unusual case of a 54-year-old diabetic man with chronic suppurative otitis media, presenting with cervical osteomyelitis and retropharyngeal abscess. This was treated with decompression, debridement and fusion from C2 to C4 with external halo-frame stabilization. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was cultured from the ear and the osteomyelitis specimen. Exploration of the left ear showed evidence of mucosal disease, with granulations in the middle ear and oedematous mucosa in the mastoid antrum, but no evidence of dural-plate dehiscence. Haematogenous spread probably led to cervical osteomyelitis and retropharyngeal abscess formation. Cervical osteomyelitis may develop as a rare complication and present as a cause of severe neck pain in patients with otitis media.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2005 Royal Society of Medicine Press

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