Pediatric Acute Mastoiditis: Our Experience in a Tertiary Care Center

Introduction Acute mastoiditis (AM) is a common intra-temporal complication of acute otitis media (AOM) and is more commonly seen in children. Occasionally, it presents as the first sign of ear disease. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical course of AM and determine therapeutic options for pediatric patients presenting with AM. Methods This was a prospective, observational study conducted on patients with AM presenting at a tertiary center during one year period. Convenience sampling was employed and 79 pediatric patients (18 years or below) were recruited for the study. Data on the demographic profile of patients, the treatment offered, duration of hospital stay, and outcome were analyzed. Result In our study, 62% were male patients (n = 49) and 38% (n = 30) were females. The mean age of patients was 9.32 +/- 5.3 years and a history of AOM was present in 60 (75.9%). On admission, the most common presentation was post-auricular inflammation (100%) followed by otalgia (79.7%), fever (59.5%), aural protrusion (54.4%), and otorrhoea (51.9%). Culture reports were available for 54 (68.4%) patients and 30 (38%) grew organisms. The cultured organisms were Streptococcus pneumonia (20.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.1%), Streptococcus pyogenes (3.8%), and Staphylococcus aureus (3.8%). Most patients were managed conservatively (n = 66, 83.5%) whereas surgery was performed in 16.5% (n = 13) patients. The mean hospital stay was 5.58 +/- 1.99 days. The need for surgical management was significantly associated with age >5 years (p = 0.006), history of AOM (p = 0.026) and the presence of complications (p = 0.012). Subperiosteal abscess (SA) was present in 21 (26.6%) patients and one had facial palsy. SA along with AM had a mean hospital stay of 8.5 +/- 0.77 days compared to 4.94 +/- 1.43 days in case of isolated AM (p < 0.001) and the mean age of presentation in SA with AM was 11.97 +/- 5.13 years compared to 8.29 +/- 5.14 years in case of isolated AM (p = 0.006). All patients recovered and were followed up to three months with no recurrence, complications, or sequelae. Conclusion Most of the cases of acute mastoiditis follow previous AOM episodes. With early recognition and effective treatment, the prognosis is good.