A case of headache attributed to otitis media chronica cholesteatomatica with cerebral sigmoid sinus thrombosis

Otitis media chronica cholesteatomatica with cerebral sigmoid sinus thrombosis is an important differential diagnosis in the evaluation of headache. We describe a 31-year-old Filipino man with chief complaints of headache, otalgia, vomiting, and vertigo, and no significant past medical history. Two years before admission he stuffed tissues into the right external auditory canal because of a noise in the street on the night of the New Years festival and sometimes had right ear discharge. One month before admission he had a right occipital headache with right otalgia and fever. One day before admission he vomited. Vertigo developed on the day of admission. On physical examination at admission, the patient was somnolent and had a body temperature of 36.9 degrees C, and meningeal signs were obvious. Magnetic resonance of the brain revealed right otitis media chronica cholesteatomatica and right cerebral sigmoid sinus thrombosis. Computed tomography of the skull base revealed that the tympanic cavity and mastoid air cells were filled with a mass of soft-tissue density invading toward the sigmoid sinus. Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed a cell count of 32/3 mm3. The patients level of consciousness and symptoms improved after administration of ampicillin and ceftriaxone sodium. A diagnosis of "headache attributed to disorder of ears," with The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (ICHD-II) code 11.4, was made on the basis of symptoms and imaging findings. Otitis media chronica cholesteatomatica had invaded toward the sigmoid sinus and was thought to be the cause of cerebral sigmoid sinus thrombosis and meningitis. Six weeks after admission the patient underwent mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty to cure the cholesteatoma and prevent recurrence of inflammation. The postoperative progress was satisfactory. In cases of headache with otalgia, "headache attributed to disorder of ears" should be considered.