Pott's puffy tumor. A case report

Abstract

Pott's puffy tumor is an infrequent entity characterized by a subperiosteal abscess associated with frontal bone osteomyelitis. It is usually seen as a complication of frontal sinusitis. This common condition is usually not diagnosed initially and is easily confused with neoplasms, skin and soft-tissue infection, and infected haematoma. Although Pott's puffy tumor is more commonly described in children, it should also be included in the differential diagnosis of swelling on the forehead in adults. This report describes the case of a 25-year-old man with Pott's puffy tumor resulting from frontal sinusitis, complicated by frontal brain abscess, and a subdural empyema. It was successfully treated with abscess drainage and prolonged use of antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, only 13 cases of Pott's puffy tumor have been previously reported in adults. Particularities of this disease are reported here.