Middle Cranial Fossa Epidural Abscess: An Unusual Complication of Acute Sinusitis

Abstract

Intracranial complications of acute sinusitis usually are manifested as frontal lobe empyemas, and middle cranial fossa epidural abscesses are rare. We present an unusual case of middle cranial fossa epidural abscess as a direct complication of acute pansinusitis in a young man. The etiology of middle cranial fossa epidural abscess formation is similar to that of anterior cranial fossa (frontal lobe) abscess formation, but the treatment and surgical approaches are more complicated. We present the methods of communication of paranasal disease through the fascial planes into the subtemporal space and the lateral pharyngeal space. An evaluation of a patient who presents with fever and severe headache of sinus origin should commence with imaging scans and a team approach to treatment.