Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis Possibly Secondary to Otitis Media

Bo Wang; Guoyong Qin; Jiafang Wang; Kebin Zeng

doi:10.1155/carm/4541532

Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis Possibly Secondary to Otitis Media

Case Rep Med. 2026 Mar 4:2026:4541532. doi: 10.1155/carm/4541532. eCollection 2026.

Authors

Bo Wang¹, Guoyong Qin², Jiafang Wang³, Kebin Zeng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China, cqmu.edu.cn.
² Department of Neurology, Dazu District People's Hospital, Chongqing, 402360, China.
³ Department of Neurology, Chongqing Hygeia Hospital, Chongqing, 400000, China.

Abstract

This study describes a 46-year-old female patient who initially presented with hearing impairment and subsequently developed a headache as the predominant symptom, accompanied by the involvement of multiple cranial nerves, including the optic, vestibulocochlear, and trigeminal nerves. Cerebrospinal fluid pressure progressively increased, and imaging demonstrated progression from unilateral to bilateral involvement of the tentorium cerebelli. Clinically, the patient's hypertrophic pachymeningitis was considered associated with otitis media. After receiving high-dose corticosteroid pulse therapy, the patient experienced marked relief of the headache and associated symptoms, which was presumed to be related to postinfectious immune-inflammatory mechanisms.

Keywords: case report; headache; hypertrophic pachymeningitis; immune inflammation; otitis media.