Acute Mastoiditis Following Leech Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media

Coban K,Aydin E,Bas C

doi:10.18875/2638-3616.1.104

Abstract

Otitis media is defined as an infection of the middle ear fluid and is the second most common pediatric diagnosis in the emergency department following upper respiratory infections. Acute mastoiditis in children develops when acute otitis media (AOM) spreads into the mastoid air cells inside the temporal bone. We present a 7 years old female child who attended to our clinic with severe symptoms of acute otitis media complicated with acute mastoiditis, to whom leech therapy was performed as the initial treatment, elsewhere. Due to the delay of the medical therapy, the disease deteriorated. Medicinal leech therapy (MLT) or hirudotherapy, an old technique, is believed to have possible positive effects on various conditions such as inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Highlights

Hırudotherapy (Leech therapy) was first used by Avicenna in 1020 [1]
acute otitis media (AOM) is a common disorder of early childhood which is one of the most common reasons for referral of a child to an otolaryngology clinic
Negative pressure occurs in the middle ear and via this pressure disequilibirium, the microbe-containing secretions from the upper airway mucousa, moves easiliy into the middle ear

Summary

Introduction

Hırudotherapy (Leech therapy) was first used by Avicenna in 1020 [1]. It was believed that Hirudo medicinalis balanced the ‘biological humours’ by removing blood from patients. Leech therapy is used to reduce blood coagulation, relieving venous pressure, and stimulate blood circulation [1,2]. Leech therapy may have beneficial therapeutic actions, but it has complications. The major complication of leech therapy is infection. Leech therapy was initially performed in another city. They referred to our clinic with persistent severe ear pain for nearly three weeks. The physical examination showed the three loci of entrance of leeches to the left ear (Figure 1). In her otoscopic examination, the left tympanic membrane was hyperemic and thickened. Following the IV therapy, the patients’ symptoms releived, she was discharged and oral Cefuroxime axetil 2x 250 mg for 10 days was prescribed

Discussion

Conclusion