Otitic hydrocephalus was described by Sir Charles P Symonds upon his observation of intracranial hypertension occurring after otitis media with no clinical or serological evidence of meningeal inflammation.¹ In 1936, Ersner and Meyers proposed its pathophysiology to be the obliteration of the lateral cerebral sinus.² The introduction of antibiotics in the modern era has made the disease and its sequelae a rare phenomenon.³ A case of otitic hydrocephalus in a child, resulting in papilloedema with visual loss, is described.

Case report

A 5 year old female presented with pansinusitis, bilateral mastoiditis, and thrombosis of the right lateral sinus demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and venography (fig 1A). Medical history was insignificant. Cerebral …