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Intracranial Complications of Otitis Media

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Abstract

Complications of untreated otitis media are well known and are well documented in the medical literature. In the era before the widespread availability and use of antibiotics, complications that resulted from ear infections were frequent and fatal. The advent of antibiotics has caused the incidence of these complications to diminish significantly. While they have declined substantially, they have not disappeared completely. They are still present especially among developing nations where access to healthcare is still difficult. Various complications like meningitis, thrombophlebitis, and brain abscess can occur together or in combination with any other complication. Surgery alone is insufficient in controlling these complications and thus must be accompanied by aggressive and appropriate antibiotic therapy. Radiological imaging in the form of CT scans and MR imaging have helped significantly in localizing the source and the consequences of otogenic infections. Understanding the problem and prioritizing treatment are important factors in the desire to get both, the complication as well as the source of the complication to resolve quickly in an effort to help the patient overcome these health problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai, India

    Diane Biju

  2. Vascular Surgery, Borders General Hospital, Melrose, Scotland, UK

    Aishan Patil

  3. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Shaila Sidam

  4. Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India

    Aditi Govil & Kanchan Gupta

  5. BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, India

    Aditi Govil

  6. Holy Family Hospital, Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai, India

    Vishal Tyagi

  7. Dept of ENT, VN Desai Hospital, Mumbai, India

    Vishal Tyagi

  8. Internal Medicine, BYL Nair Hospital and TNM College, Mumbai, India

    Rosemarie de Souza

  9. Faculty SUNY, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Chris de Souza

  10. LSUHSC, Shreveport, LA, USA

    Chris de Souza

  11. Lilavati Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai, India

    Chris de Souza

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  1. Diane Biju
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Clínica Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile, USA

    Marcos V. Goycoolea

  2. Otolaryngology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Sady Selaimen da Costa

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    Chris de Souza

  4. Paparella Ear Head & Neck Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Michael M. Paparella

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Biju, D. et al. (2023). Intracranial Complications of Otitis Media. In: Goycoolea, M.V., Selaimen da Costa, S., de Souza, C., Paparella, M.M. (eds) Textbook of Otitis Media. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40949-3_34

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