Bacterial meningitis after radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy

A 6‐year‐old otherwise healthy girl who underwent radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy presented with fever on the same day and was diagnosed as having bacterial meningitis 2 days later. Culture of cerebrospinal fluid indicated that the pathogens were penicillin‐sensitive Streptococcus pneumoniae and methicillin‐sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. The serotype of the causative pneumococcus, 11A, was not covered by the 7‐valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine the patient had been inoculated with. Although not previously reported, radiofrequency diathermy for adenoid hypertrophy can be considered a risk factor for bacteremia and meningitis.