Luc's abscess—A case report

Zygomatic air cells in connection with Luc's abscess

INTRODUCTION

An uncommon complication of Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is a subperiosteal temporal infection known as Luc's abscess. Zygomatic air cells (ZACs) are an uncommon anatomic variant.

CASE SERIES

Two otherwise healthy male patients, aged six- and thirteen years-old presented with unilateral otalgia, swelling, trismus, and fever. Imaging revealed Luc's abscess near ZACs. Antibiotics, drainage and myringotomy tubes resulted in a full recovery.

CONCLUSION

In addition to the spread of soft tissue infection through the Notch of Rivinus, the presence of ZACs may provide a pathway for suppurative effusion and development into Luc's abscess.

Luc's Abscess and Temporomandibular Joint Septic Arthritis: Two Rare Sequelae of Acute Otitis Media

A 5-year-old previously healthy child presented with right-sided otalgia, right facial and temporal swelling, and right jaw pain in the setting of 6 days of low-grade fever. The child had no trauma, vomiting, or prior dental treatments. On physical examination, the patient had facial swelling, erythema, and tenderness over the right temporal region along with trismus, as well as pain on palpation of the right temporomandibular joint (TMJ). A computed tomography scan revealed otitis media, Luc's abscess, and TMJ septic arthritis requiring surgical drainage and intravenous antibiotics. The patient responded well to treatment and recovered without sequelae. Dr. Cardwell Luc first described Luc's abscess in 1913 as a rare complication of middle ear infection leading to an abscess in the infratemporal space. To our knowledge, our case is the first documented case of concurrent Luc's abscess and TMJ septic arthritis in a previously healthy child as complications of acute otitis media. This case highlights 2 rare complications of a common medical condition that pediatric emergency care providers should recognize due to the need for surgical intervention, without which there may be longstanding sequelae.

Clinical features and management of Luc's abscess: Case report and systematic review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

Luc's abscess is a rare complication of acute otitis media, with a challenging diagnosis and a controversial surgical treatment. The aim of the present study was to review the published literature in order to clarify the clinical features and the surgical management of those patients.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was carried out for published reports or case series in English language, describing a temporo-zygomatic (or Luc's) abscess which complicated an acute or chronic otitis media and/or mastoiditis, confirmed through CT scan or MRI of the petrous bone. The collected clinical and radiological data were merged and critically appraised.

RESULTS

Eighteen reports of Luc's abscess were included. Adding our case report, a total of 21 cases were included in the analysis. Abscess drainage plus myringotomy alone vs. abscess drainage plus myringotomy and mastoidectomy were the two surgical management approaches described in the literature. Patients undergoing first line mastoidectomy were successfully treated in all cases, while among those undergoing a more conservative approach, one failure required subsequent mastoidectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical features of Luc's abscess are rather constant and help in rising the suspicion before the radiological diagnosis. Although cases with associated intra-cranic complications have been reported, the limited existing data do not permit to advocate the mastoidectomy over a more conservative surgical approach. However, the decision to avoid mastoidectomy as the first line surgical treatment should be based on the clinical and radiologic assessment, after an accurate counseling, particularly in the case of a pediatric patient.

Luc's abscess as an unlucky complication of mastoiditis

Luc's abscess is a rare but important complication of acute otitis media (AOM), whereby infection spreads from the middle ear, resulting in a subperiosteal collection beneath the temporal muscle. Unlike other extracranial abscesses relating to AOM, Luc's abscess is not believed to involve the mastoid bone. We present the case of a patient with a Luc's abscess with mastoid involvement and discuss its successful management. We believe that patients presenting with a subperiosteal collection beneath the temporal muscle and mastoiditis may represent a different group of patients to those described originally by Luc. These individuals can be differentiated using computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bones. We advocate CT in patients with Luc's abscess and AOM; this aids preoperative surgical planning.