OTITIC SINUS THROMBOSIS CAUSING INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

In this presentation an explanation is sought for the syndrome of increased intracranial pressure which occasionally accompanies an attack of otitis media and which is not due to meningitis, encephalitis or abscess of the brain. Quincke¹ in 1896 described a syndrome in which the signs of increased intracranial pressure were associated with the finding of clear cerebrospinal fluid on lumbar puncture. He stated the belief that in such cases an excess of cerebrospinal fluid results from hypersecretion of the choroid plexus. He referred to the condition as "serous meningitis" and described otitis as one of the predisposing factors. Various terms have since been coined to describe and label conditions of this type, such as "cerebral pseudoabscess," "meningismus," "serous meningitis," "serous ependymitis," "arachnoiditis," "hypertensive meningeal hydrops," "toxic hydrocephalus," and "otitic hydrocephalus." Recent articles by Symonds,² Frazier,³ Dandy,⁴ Davidoff and Dyke,⁵ McAlpine,⁶ Williams,⁷ and Ersner and Myers⁶ described and authors' experiences with