Acute mastoiditis is a quite frequent complication of acute otitis media. It is characterized by spreading of the infectious process beyond the respiratory mucosa lining the middle ear, first in the mastoid bone, then to the adjacent regions. The aim of this work is to show the contribution of HRCT in the diagnosis of this condition and its complications.

A retrospective study of 20 cases of acute mastoiditis collected at the pediatric radiology unit at the Ibn Rochd Hospital in Casablanca, over a period of 2 year (September 2015 to September 2017). All patients benefitedfrom a temporal bone CT scan before and after administration of contrast agent. Ten children benefited from a cerebral CT scan.

The age of our patients was between 3 months and 10 years old, with a clear female predominance. All of the patients in this series were seen clinically because of otalgia; most patients also had otorrhea and mastoid tenderness; some had fever and headache. Radiographic findings of mastoiditis ranged from subtle changes of mastoid air cell opacification to the more profound changes of osseous destruction, subperiosteal abscess formation and, in some cases, dural sinuses thrombophlebitis as well as empyemas and parenchymal abscesses. The distribution of...

Temporal bone CT scan remains the Gold standard imaging tool not only for the positive diagnosis of mastoiditis in children, but also for the etiological assessment and the search for complications. Post-contrast imaging is helpful in assessing for associated soft tissue complications or vascular complications such as dural venous thrombosis.Early and adapted management can help treating the condition and preventing its complications.

Vazquez E, Castellote A, Piqueras J, Mauleon S, Creixell S, Pumarola F, Figueras C, Carreno JC, Lucaya J. Imaging of complications of acute mastoiditis in children. Radiographics 2003;23(2):359–372. Linn J, Ertl-Wagner B, Seelos KC, Strupp M, Reiser M, Bruckmann H, Bruning R. Diagnostic value of multidetector-row CT angiography in the evaluation of thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2007;28(5):946–952. Swartz JD, Harnsberger HR. Imaging of the temporal bone. Thieme Publishing Group. Mafee MF, Singleton EL, Valvassori GE et-al. Acute otomastoiditis and...