[Thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus secondary to polysinusitis. Report of a new case]

Cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis syndrome is uncommon nowadays. Despite the wide range of antimicrobial agents it carries a high mortality. The disease frequently arises from infection of face, mouth, nose and paranasal sinuses, reaching the cavernous sinus by venous spread. Involvement of adjacent anatomic structures accounts for most of the clinical findings. Meningeal involvement, bilateral orbital edema and ocular cranial nerves palsy are very helpful in the differential diagnosis. Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Haemophilus influenzae and anaerobic organisms are considered to be the most frequent etiological agents. In the present paper we report a case of cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis following left side polysinusitis. The patient presented with the main clinical features of the syndrome along with Streptococcus equisimilis and Fusobacterium necrophorum bacteremia. Urgent surgery of infected sinuses and appropriate antibiotic therapy led to a favorable outcome. The patient made and excellent progress and was discharged completely recovered two weeks after admission.