Fatal septic cavernous sinus thrombosis following dental extraction: a case report

Abstract

Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a rare complication of odontogenic infection. A coexistence of compromised medical condition would reduce the patient survivability. In this context, we reported a 66-yearold female who developed an odontogenic infection and cavernous sinus thrombosis within 1 day after an upper tooth extraction. Considered as a life-threatening complication status of odontogenic infection, the patient was referred to the emergency medicine department for intensive care with differential diagnosis of cavernous sinus thrombosis and masticator space infection. It was revealed that the patient had an uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and acute kidney injury. Later the patient developed a septic shock and died in almost 2 days since the tooth extraction. This makes it very important for the dentists to raise suspicion of uncontrolled status in those patients with history of diabetes mellitus and manage them carefully with proper antibiotic cover when undergoing dental procedures. Clinical relevanceTooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgery procedures. This case report urges the highest caution when performing it in non-controlled diabetic mellitus patients.Oral Surgery 12 (2019) 153--158.