Otomastoiditis Complicated by a Bezold Abscess and Extradural Empyema, Case Report

Bezold's abscess is a rare deep neck abscess and is an intratemporal complication of mastoiditis, the infection erodes through the mastoid cortex to the attachment of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. Once the infection has reached this space, it can progress into the infratemporal fossa and trip deep to the investing subcaste of the deep cervical fascia [1]. The spread of infection in this subcaste can lead to a progressive cellulitis/ abscess, but can also do toward the carotid jacket, and thrombosis of the internal jugular tone can do. It was first described by Friedrich Bezold in 1881[5]. Since antibiotics were introduced, the number of reported cases of Bezold's abscesses have significantly dropped. According to some authors, since 1967 there have been less than 100 reported cases in the English literature, only four cases in children under the age of five [1].