A case of Serratia marcescens meningitis in a 66-year-old man is reported. The infection occurred 4 weeks after apparently successful otic surgery, and a nidus of infection in the middle ear was established at autopsy. This is the second case of S. marcescens meningitis following ear surgery reported in the English-language literature.

Otologic surgery is undertaken to treat ailments of the ear including persistent infections, hearing loss, vertigo, and cancer. Typically performed on healthy patients in outpatient facilities, the application of image-guided surgery has been limited because accurate (<1mm), non-invasive fiducial systems for otologic surgery are not available. We have developed such a system, which repeatably a...

Review of the medical and audiologic literature indicates that MIHL occurs among musicians, with varying incidences ranging up to 58% in classical musicians and up to 30% in rock/pop musicians. In addition, studies show that musicians routinely face sound pressure levels (SPLs) in potentially hazardous ranges, extending up to 120-130 dBA only 3 feet from the speaker in amplified rock/pop bands,...

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare type of spongiform encephalopathy. Affected patients present with constitutional symptoms, which progress to severe mental deterioration and movement disorders. Dizziness is the most common early otologic symptom. Few reports in the literature describe patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who present with sudden-onset hearing loss as their primary symptom ...

Acute or chronic otitis media can cause intracranial complications, one of the most serious being brain abscess. Empirical antibiotic treatment and proper surgical management should be considered to avoid fatal consequences. However, proper extent and optimal timing of surgical intervention are still matters of debate. We present a case of a 31-year-old man who presented with acutely altered me...