Frontal osteomyelitis presenting as upper eyelid ectropion: A cautionary tale

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Frontal osteomyelitis is a rare infection of the forehead bone, often resulting from sinusitis, trauma, or surgery.
• Typical symptoms include forehead swelling, pain, and fever.
• Cicatricial ectropion, an eyelid turning outward, is an exceptionally uncommon manifestation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a unique case of frontal osteomyelitis presenting solely with cicatricial ectropion.
• To emphasize the importance of considering frontal osteomyelitis in the differential diagnosis of cicatricial ectropion.

Main Methods:

• Case presentation of a young male with cicatricial ectropion.
• Review of medical literature via Medline search for similar cases.

Main Results:

• The patient's cicatricial ectropion was the only presenting sign of underlying frontal osteomyelitis.
• No similar cases of frontal osteomyelitis presenting solely with cicatricial ectropion were found in the literature.

Conclusions:

• Frontal osteomyelitis can manifest atypically, with cicatricial ectropion as the sole clinical sign.
• Clinicians should consider frontal osteomyelitis in the differential diagnosis of cicatricial ectropion, especially when typical signs are absent.