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Otitis media (silent): A potential cause of childhood meningitis
Author(s) -
Djerić Dragoslava R.,
Schachern Patricia A.,
Paparella Michael M.,
Jaramillo Mario,
Haruna Shinichi,
Bassioni Mohktar
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199412000-00005
Subject(s) - otitis , medicine , middle ear , meningitis , pathology , effusion , ear canal , audiology , anatomy , surgery , radiology
Sixteen temporal bones from 8 infants with otitis media, who died of meningitis, and 6 controls from infants with only otitis media, were studied histologically. All bones contained middle ear effusion and residual mesenchyme, but, unlike the controls, the meningitic cases showed considerable histopathological tissue changes of chronic and acute otitis media and chronic inflammatory cells in the round window membrane and within the perilymph, the modiolus, and the cochlear aqueduct, suggesting the latter as likely portals from the inner ear to the meninges. Since all tympanic membranes were intact and 3 were histologically normal, this silent route of infection warrants medical vigilance.