Gradenigo's syndrome

Gradenigo's syndrome, also called Gradenigo-Lannois syndrome^[1][2] and petrous apicitis, is a complication of otitis media and mastoiditis involving the apex of the petrous temporal bone.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the syndrome include:

• retroorbital pain due to pain in the area supplied by the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve),
• ipsilateral paralysis of the abducens nerve (sixth cranial nerve), and
• otitis media.

Other symptoms can include photophobia, excessive lacrimation, fever, and reduced corneal sensitivity.
The syndrome is usually caused by the spread of an infection into the petrous apex of the temporal bone.

Eponym

It is named after Count Giuseppe Gradenigo, an Italian Otolaryngologist, and Maurice Lannois.^[3]

References