Pott's puffy tumor and epidural abscess arising from pansinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Sinusitis is a common disorder that can result in rare but serious complications including periorbital or orbital cellulitis, intracranial abscess or meningitis, subperiosteal scalp abscess ("Pott's puffy tumor"), osteomyelitis, and cavernous sinus thrombosis. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 41-year-old man who presented to our Emergency Department with pansinusitis. He did not obtain recommended follow-up treatment after discharge and 26 days later returned with a persistence of sinusitis, Pott's puffy tumor, and an intracranial abscess caused by Streptococcus intermedius. The patient required multiple otolaryngological and neurosurgical interventions and was treated with long-term antibiotic therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Pott's puffy tumor is a complicated infection that requires intravenous antibiotic and surgical treatment. Diagnosis is made by contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan. Early treatment significantly contributes to favorable outcome and decreases the risk of further complications such as epidural abscess.