Acute Otomastoiditisin Children: Clinical Presentations and Management

Acute mastoiditis (AC) is a serious complication of acute otitis media (AOM) affecting, in most cases, the pediatric population. Diagnosis is usually easy in front of a retro auricular swelling associated to OM. However, this disease may cause significant and even life threatening complications beyond the tympanomastoid system such as peripheral facial nerve palsy, Bezold’s abscess, meningitis, subperiosteal abscess and brain abscess. Management of AC remains controversial raging from conservative treatment in the form of IV antibiotics to more aggressive interventions such as mastoidectomy. This retrospective study represents our experience in the management of AC in the pediatric population. Our purpose was to review and discuss clinical presentations and main treatment modalities of AM