Otogenic meningitis after skull fracture in a child (histopathologic contribution)

The temporal bone histology of a 51 year old man who died of a fulminant otogenic meningitis is presented. The patient suffered from a transverse fracture of the skull base as a child. Temporal bone histology showed an unhealed fracture through the endochondrial layer of the bony labyrinth so that a pathway from the middle ear to the inside of the skull persisted throughout life. Therapy with high doses of antibiotics did not eliminate the risk of fatal meningitis.