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CASE REPORT
Sinogenic intracranial complications: is adalimumab a culprit?
  1. Mikkel Seremet Kofoed1,
  2. Niels Fisker2,
  3. Anne Estmann Christensen2,
  4. Anette Drøhse Kjeldsen1
  1. 1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Odense Universitetshospital, Odense, Denmark
  2. 2Department of Paediatrics, The Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital, Odense, Denmark
  1. Correspondence to Professor Anette Drøhse Kjeldsen, anette.kjeldsen{at}rsyd.dk

Summary

We present two 11-year-old girls with chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, treated with adalimumab. Both developed severe intracranial complications to sinusitis. Patient 1 had been treated with adalimumab for 15 months when she developed acute sinusitis complicated by an orbital abscess, forehead swelling, a subdural empyema and osteomyelitis of the frontal bone. She was treated with a rhinosurgical and neurosurgical approach with intravenous antibiotics.Patient 2 had been in adalimumab treatment for 10 weeks. Adalimumab was discontinued 8 weeks prior to developing subdural empyema and subcortical abscesses in combination with sinusitis. She was treated with endoscopic sinus surgery and intravenous antibiotics. Both patients had developed psoriasis and episodes of infection during treatment. They were non-septic and had low fever on presentation. None of the patients suffered any long-term neurological sequelae. The immunosuppressive treatment with adalimumab is considered to be the cause of the sinogenic intracranial complications in our cases.

  • biological agents
  • infection (neurology)
  • infections
  • ear
  • nose and throat/otolaryngology
  • paediatrics

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Footnotes

  • Contributors MSK is the lead author of the case report. ADK helped in the planning and design, and was the supervisor. NF and AEC have contributed significantly in the drafting of this case report.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.