Optimizing skull base osteomyelitis treatment: effectiveness of antibiotic therapy within a multimodal approach

What Researchers Did

This study retrospectively analyzed 52 adult patients with skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) to evaluate how effective antibiotic therapy is when used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that also included surgery and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

What They Found

Researchers found that 55.8% of the 52 patients with skull base osteomyelitis received hyperbaric oxygen therapy, while 71.2% underwent surgery. The average duration of intravenous antibiotics was 31.9 days, and despite repeated sampling, no pathogen was identified in 19.2% of patients.

Canadian Relevance

This study was not conducted by Canadian authors or in Canada, and skull base osteomyelitis is not a Health Canada-recognized indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Study Limitations

The study's retrospective design and relatively small sample size of 52 patients limit the generalizability of its findings.