ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine the frequency of intracranial spread of infections among the patients of chronic suppurative otitis media presenting at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.
Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at the Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Dow Medical College, Dr. K.M Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2021 to January 2022.
Methods:  Out of 87 patients with Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media were included using a non-probability sampling technique. Possible routes of spread of infections were identified based on per operative findings. The Descriptive statistics were applied to all parameters. On inferential statistics, Chi-square test was used for stratification, considering p-value ≤0.05 as significant.
Results: 75 (86.2%) were male and 12 (13.8%) were female. 21 (24.1%) patients were found with meningitis, 11 (12.6%) with lateral sinus thrombosis, and 2 (2.3%) with otitis hydrocephalus. As far as signs and symptoms are concerned, 87 (100%) patients had a headache, 74 (85.1%) had nausea and vomiting, 44 (50.6%) patients had vertigo, 43 (49.4%) had a fever, 18 (20.7%) had diplopia, and 73 (83.9%) had altered consciousness. 69 (79.3%) of patients’ route of infection in the patients of chronic suppurative otitis media had bone erosion, 12 (13.8%) had thrombophlebitis, and 6 (6.9%) had anatomical pathways. Among different sites of spread of infection, the most common site was sinodural angle 45 (51.72%).
Conclusion: Bone erosion, with 79.3%, was the most prevalent route of intracranial spread, followed by thrombophlebitis and anatomical pathways.

Keywords: Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media, Complication, Intracranial Spread of Infections, Middle Ear, Routes, Sites.

How to cite this: Malik MI, Naqvi AF, Naqvi SU, Khan N, Ali A, Abbas N. Routes and Sites of Intracranial Spread of Infections Among the Patients of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media. Life and Science. 2023; 4(4): 476-482. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.476