Cavernous sinus thrombosis of nasal origin in children

Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a rare presentation. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are required to prevent morbidity and mortality. Nasal infections can give rise to serious intracranial complications. Presented here is a case series of cavernous sinus thrombosis of nasal septic origin. The purpose of this article is to report our experience in pediatric patients with this illness to ascertain a clinical course and outcomes for further clinical application. Eight (08) cases of nasalseptic origin of cavernous sinus thrombosis ata tertiary care teaching hospital in the north India region of India were included in the study. Cases presented with various symptoms like headache, proptosis, ophthalmoplegia and fever. The patients were investigated by doing High Resolution Computed Tomography of nose & PNS and brain with intravenous contrast. The cases were treated with intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics. Eight patients less than 16 years of age (mean age of 11.2 years)diagnosed with cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis due to nasal septic focus over the period of 05 years were reviewed retrospectively. The predisposing infections and causative microorganisms were similar to previous reports in children. A conservative management strategy with antibiotics gave a good prognosis in these cases. There were no deaths. Early recognition of this condition, the appropriate selection of empirical antibiotic therapy, and the awareness of associated complication were the key factors leading to excellent outcome.