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Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Syphilitic osteitis of the skull presenting as a complication of secondary syphilis
Kristoffer E Leon1, Daniel J Minter2, Bryn A Boslett2
1Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Syphilis still remains a common infection in the United States with increasing prevalence in the last two decades. With HIV co-infection (even if well-controlled), syphilis as well as other infections can have unusual presentations. In this case report, we present a case of secondary syphilis complicated by neurosyphilis and osteitis of the skull treated with a prolonged course of intravenous penicillin. We review the published literature regarding syphilitic calvarial osteitis, a rare manifestation of this protean infection, to discuss areas of uncertainty regarding diagnostic and treatment decisions.
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