Abstract
Objectives: To determine the immediate post-operative course and outcome of pediatric patients with complicated acute mastoiditis (CAM) following surgical treatment.
Study Design: A retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with CAM who underwent mastoid surgery during 2012-2019.
Setting: Tertiary care university hospital.
Participants: the study includes 33 patients, divided into two groups: 17 patients with subperiosteal abscess (SPA) alone - single complication group (SCG) and 16 patients with SPA and additional intracranial or intratemporal complications -multiple complications group (MCG).
Main Outcome Measures: post-operative fever course and pattern (POF), microbiology data, inflammatory parameters, hospitalization length, were recorded, compared, and analyzed.
Results : 33 patients belong to the SCG 17(51%) and 16(49%) belonged to the MCG, respectively. 6/17(35.3%) SCG patients experienced POF vs . 12/16(75%) in the MCG (P=0.012). At post-operative day 2 (POD2), 10/13(77%) febrile patients belonged to MCG and 3/13(23%) to SCG (P=0.013). POF was recorded until POD6 in both groups. Seven patients, all from MCG with POF, underwent second imaging with no new findings; A total of 18 positive cultures were reported.Fusobacterium necrophorum counted for 8/18(44.5%) of all positive cultures, 7/9(77.8%) in the MCG vs. 1/9(11.1 %) in the SCG, P=0.004. Streptococcus pneumoniae was reported only in SCG (5/9, 55.5%, vs. 0/9, P=0.008).
Conclusion: Post-mastoidectomy fever due to CAM is not unusual and seems to be a benign condition for the first 5-6 days, following surgery. MCG patients are more prone to develop POF. F. necrophorum is more likely to be associated with MCG, and S. pneumoniae is common in SCG patients.