Bacterial meningitis after radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy

A 6-year-old otherwise healthy girl who underwent radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy presented with fever on the same day and was diagnosed as having bacterial meningitis 2 days later. Culture of cerebrospinal fluid indicated that the pathogens were penicillin-sensitive Streptococcus pneumoniae and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. The serotype of the causative pneumococcus, 11A, was not covered by the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine the patient had been inoculated with. Although not previously reported, radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy can be considered a risk factor for bacteremia and meningitis.