Dental Infection Presenting with Ipsilateral Parapharyngeal Abscess and Contralateral Orbital Cellulitis – A case report
Main Article Content
Abstract
A 43 year-old man presented with pain on the right tooth for three days duration. Computed tomography showed left orbital cellulitis and right parapharyngeal abscess. There was also evidence suggestive of a dental abscess over right upper alveolar region. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed left superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis. Emergency drainage of the right parapharyngeal abscess was performed. Right maxillary molar extraction revealed periapical abscess. Left eye proptosis markedly reduced after initiating heparin.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Bullock J D, Fleishman J A. The spread of odontogenic infections to the orbit: diagnosis and management. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1985; 43(10):749-55.
Thakar M, Thakar A. Odontogenic orbital cellulitis. Report of a case and consideration on route of spread. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 1995; 73(5):470-1.
Sethi D S, Stanley R E. Parapharyngeal abscesses. J Laryngol Otol. 1991; 105(12):1025-30.
Harbour R C, Trobe J D, Ballinger W E. Septic cavernous sinus thrombosis associated with gingivitis
and parapharyngeal abscess. Arch Ophthalmol. 1984; 102:94-7.
Ngeow W C. Orbital cellulitis as a sole symptom of odontogenic infection. Singapore Med J. 1999; 40 (2):101-3. Flood T P, Braude L S, Jampol L M, Herzog S. Computed tomography in the management of orbital infections associated with dental disease. Br J Ophthalmol. 1982; 66:269-74.
Assefa D, Dalitz E, Handrick W, Lietz R, Braun W, Michalski H. Septic cavernous sinus thrombosis following infection of ethmoidal and maxillary infection of ethmoidal and maxillary sinuses: a case report. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 1994; 29:249-55.
DiNubile M J. Septic thrombosis of the cavernous sinuses. Arch Neurol. 1988; 45:567-72.
Berenholz L, Kessler A, Shlomkovitz N, Sarfati S, Segal S. Superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1998; 124:95-7.
Reddy S C, Go E S. Orbital cellulitis: A study of 20 cases and review of the literature. Biomed Res. 1999; 10(3):241-47.
Handler L C, Davey I C, Hill J C, Lauryssen C. The acute orbit: differentiation of orbital cellulitis from
subperiosteal abscess by computerized tomography. Neuroradiology 1991; 33:15-8.
Slavin M L, MD, Glaser J S. Acute severe irreversible visual loss with sphenoethmoiditis – ‘posterior’ orbital
cellulitis. Arch Ophthalmol. 1987; 105:345-8.
Bergin D J, Wright J E. Orbital cellulitis. Br J Ophthalmol. 1986; 70:174-8.
Hodges E, Tabbara K F. Orbital cellulitis : review of 23 cases from Saudi Arabia. Br J Ophthalmol. 1989;73: 205-8.
Donahue S P, Schwartz G. Preseptal and orbital cellulitis in childhood – A changing microbiologic spectrum. Ophthalmology 1998; 105:1902-6.
Ng S G J, Nazir R, Sabhudi C P K, Laitt R D, Maloof A, Leatherbarrow B. Necrotising orbital cellulitis. Eye. 2001; 15:173-7.
Saah D, Schwartz A J. Diagnosis of cavernous sinus thrombosis by magnetic resonance imaging using flow
parameters. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1994; 103:487-9.
Levine S R, Twyman R E, Gilman S. The role of anticoagulation in cavernous sinus thrombosis. Neurology. 1988; 38:517-22