UAE: 11-year-old girl's sinus turns out to be rare bacterial infection; doctors operate

What appeared to be a normal sinus infection turned out to be a rare and serious craniofacial infection for a 11-year-old girl in Abu Dhabi.

The young girl was rushed to the Capital's Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) after suffering from persistent forehead pain, swelling and fatigue. Her parents had observed that she was missing school, withdrawing from activities, and had lost her usual energy and joy.

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After a comprehensive assessment by the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department, the diagnosis was confirmed: acute bacterial rhinosinusitis with multiple serious complications.

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Her seemingly routine sinus progressed into a severe and potentially life-threatening condition. The patient developed osteomyelitis of the frontal bone and a swelling known as Pott’s puffy tumour, complicated by a subperiosteal abscess and an intracranial extradural abscess, requiring urgent, highly specialised surgical care.

Doctors carried out the successful surgery. The young girl's pain resolved, her energy returned, and her forehead was reconstructed with functional and cosmetic outcomes.

She has since returned to school and resumed her normal daily activities.

Dr Remon Bazak, Consultant Otolaryngologist at SKMC, under whom the srugery took place, said, “This was a challenging case involving both infection and structural damage. Our goal was not only to treat the disease but to restore the patient’s quality of life. I am proud of her strength and the success of her recovery.”