Complications of suppurative otitis media: still a problem in the 21st century

The purpose of this study was to review the incidence of complicated suppurative otitis media in 10 years at a tertiary referral university hospital. During this period, 3,364 patients with suppurative otitis media (acute and chronic) were admitted to the department. The number of patients presenting with complications was 422 (12.54%). The ratio of extracranial to intracranial complications was nearly 1:1. The most frequent extracranial complication was mastoiditis while the most frequent intracranial one was lateral sinus thrombophlebitis. Multiple complications may present in the same patient. The onset of complications was insidious and 96% of the patients were already aware of their disease. There were 6 mortalities (1.42%), and additional morbidity was recorded in 16 patients (3.79%). Changes in the clinical picture should always alert the physician to the onset of a complication. Complications tended to occur in young patients from a lower socioeconomic class and without sex preponderance. Physicians should be aware of the continuing incidence of complications and the subtleness of their onset and investigate patients for the presence of more than one complication.