Acute Mastoiditis With Intracranial Complications in a Young Adult With History of Cranioplasty: The Rule in the Post-Antibiotic Era

The presentation of acute mastoiditis has become erratic over the last decades secondary to the wide use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. While establishing this diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion, imaging is necessary because of the concurrence of intracranial complications. Therefore, the diagnostic hypothesis of acute mastoiditis must prompt the evaluation for the presence of intracranial complications, such as intracranial epidural abscess (ICEA) formation. Hereby, we present a case of a 33-year-old woman presented to the ED of our institution with symptoms consistent with acute mastoiditis. She had a history of a methyl-methacrylate (MMA) cranioplasty performed 10 years before presentation for debulking of an epidermoid cyst. She was found to have the formation of an ICEA. Development of infection in patients with MMA cranioplasty is seen most commonly within one year of the implantation with the late presentation being a rare occurrence. Treatment in these cases is comprised of antibiotic therapy, but most importantly of the removal of the infected foreign material to prevent further complications from the infection.