Acute laryngeal abscess following acute sinusitis: A rare presentation in the modern era

Abstract

Acute laryngeal abscess is a rare but potentially lethal condition. There are historic descriptions of its association with systemic illnesses like typhoid fever or as a result of spread of infection following upper respiratory tract catarrh. The etiology of laryngeal abscess in recent times has changed to those with underlying malignancy, trauma due to airway instrumentation, nasogastric intubation, and external beam radiotherapy. Here we report a case of acute laryngeal abscess following catarrh, identical to the historic descriptions, probably the first such report in the modern era, highlighting the importance of its early diagnosis and high index of suspicion, which led to a very good recovery in our patient.

Case study: lessons from a laryngeal abscess

“…5,6 The cases of primary laryngeal infection in the post-antibiotic era are now associated with immunocompromised patients, or, rarely, still as a result of acute sinusitis or tuberculosis. [7][8][9][10] Our case highlights the association between malignancies and laryngeal abscess formation. Marked oedema, erythema and pus draining from a supralaryngeal cavity were the hallmarks of presentation rather than the typical appearance of a laryngeal tumour.…”

Osteomyelitis of Frontal Sinus: A Rare Sequelae of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis Associated With Anatomical Variations in the Frontal Sinus Drainage Pathway

“…It could be of bacterial or fungal etiology [10][11][12]. Frontal osteomyelitis has been reported following both acute and chronic bacterial frontal sinusitis [13]. The one following acute is more common in adolescents.…”

“…In the majority of PPT cases (those with gradual remission of symptoms and no intracranial problems), early treatment with IV broad-spectrum antibiotics can suffice, and simple drainage can be performed if necessary. When the patient enters the chronic phase with sequestrum formation, surgical intervention should be delayed and conducted in an inflammatory-free surgical area [4,13]. Surgical options are an open approach which includes osteoplastic flaps, Reidel procedures, and cranialization.…”