Bezold’s abscess: a rare complication of chronic suppurative otitis media in a 13 year old female child

Abstract

Suppurative otitis media is one of the most common ear diseases in developing countries. The advent of antibiotics has decreased the otogenic complications of this disease. Benzold’s abscess is one such rare complication of chronic suppurative otitis media. The study was done with the objective to report a case of a patient presenting with Bezold’s abscess as a complication of chronic suppurative otitis media. The case report included a 13 year old female presented with a complaint of foul smelling and scanty discharge in left ear for the past 2 years. She developed fever & a painful swelling in left side of neck extending from the tip of mastoid to the angle of mandible which was of 1 week duration. Clinical examinations and investigations revealed as left sided chronic suppurative otitis media (active squamosal type) with severe conductive hearing loss with a rare extracranial complication of Bezold’s abscess. Chronic suppurative otitis media can lead to a rare complication of Bezold’s abscess.