Objective: To study the clinical features and conservative treatment of petrositis.
Method: One case of petrositis was reported and literatures were reviewed. Opacificated air cells in CT, and anomalous, discontinuous hypersignal in MRI T1 and T2 provided evidence of infection of the apex of the petrous temporal bone.
Result: The patient recovered totally after conservative treatment with intravenous antibiotic, glucocorticoid and neurotrophic therapy, and no recurrence occurred in 1 year follow-up. CT rescan showed the clear air cells of the petrous apex 4 months later.
Conclusion: Petrositis can be diagnosed with specific clinical features, the image of CT and MRI. Conservative treatment could be a good choice.