Acute mastoiditis in infants

We present a retrospective study of 37 infants who were operated for acute mastoiditis during the period 2000-2004 in Mother and Child Health Care Institute, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro. About 23 patients (62.2%) were male and 14 (37.8%) were female. Acute mastoiditis developed just after the first infection of the middle ear in 26 patients (70.3%). All patients had local and general symptoms. The most common local symptoms were blurred tympanic membrane in all patients, painful tenderness of mastoid in 21 (57%) and redness of tympanic membrane in 13 (36%). General signs of infection were loss of body weight in 28 (75.7%) patients, fever in 21 (56.8%), vomiting in 19 (51.3%), diarrhea in 19 (51.3%) and severe anemia that requested red blood cell transfusion in 6 (16.2%). Suppuration did not appear in any of the patients. Tympanocentesis had been performed prior to surgery in all patients. The most frequently isolated causative microorganism was Streptococcus pneumoniae which was found in 12 (32.5%) patients, Staphylococcus aureus was found in 8 (21.5%) and Hemophilus influenzae in 2 (5.5%). In 15 (405%) patients there was no bacterial isolation. Eleven patients (29.7%) who had previously had acute otitis media were implanted ventilation tubes during the surgical intervention. All patients were treated with antibiotics prior and after the surgical intervention. The finding on mastoidectomy was positive in all cases. According to the results of our study the combination of antibiotic and surgical treatment is optimal in treating acute mastoiditis. Making a diagnosis of acute mastoiditis might not be easy since there are no specific symptoms. We emphasize that it should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of prolonged acute otitis media with no improvement after 10 days of antibiotic treatment, especially when accompanied with weight loss and general condition worsening.