Acute Ethmoiditis

Abstract

ORBITAL CELLULITIS, an infection of diverse causes, is a common disease of childhood (Fig 1). Although orbital cellulitis may be caused by acute frontal sinusitis, it is most frequently a complication of acute ethmoiditis.^1-11 Unfortunately, the association of acute ethmoid and frontal sinusitis with orbital cellulitis is often unrecognized. If the basic site of infection remains unknown, optimum therapy is delayed. The present report summarizes the illnesses of 26 children with acute ethmoiditis complicated by orbital cellulitis. Methods The charts of patients whose final diagnosis was acute sinusitis or orbital cellulitis were reviewed. The cases selected for review were hospitalized in Columbus Children's Hospital between Jan 1, 1961, and July 1, 1966. Only those patients with orbital cellulitis and unequivocal evidence of acute ethmoiditis, confirmed by x-rays or otolaryngologic consultation, were included in this study. Many of the patients were discharged with the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis alone, although