A child with acute coalescent mastoiditis develops a fluctuant swelling below and behind the pinna that pushes the auricle upwards and outwards, with pus tracking along the belly of the sternocleidomastoid muscle into the neck. This complication is termed:

• A Bezold's abscess ✓
• B Citelli's abscess
• C Luc's abscess
• D Zygomatic abscess

Explanation

Bezold's abscess forms when pus erodes the thin medial side of the mastoid tip and tracks between the digastric and sternocleidomastoid muscles into the neck, producing swelling below the pinna and along the neck. Luc's abscess is a subperiosteal collection from mastoiditis tracking superficially over the cortex, and a zygomatic abscess collects in front of and above the ear. The infratemporal neck location along the muscle sheath identifies Bezold's.

Reference: Dhingra's Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat, 8th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.