THE ROLE OF THE MIDDLE-EAR AND TONSIL IN THE ETIOLOGY OF FEBRILE CONVULSIONS

The middle ear and tonsil are thought to be important sources of infec tion in children with febrile seizures. However, these patients are ra rely examined by an otolaryngologist in the acute phase and we are una ware of any previous studies where otolaryngologists have documented t he presence of acute suppurative otitis media (ASOM) and tonsillitis i n a series of children with febrile convulsions. We carried out a pros pective study on 47 children admitted to two Dublin hospitals with a d iagnosis of simple febrile convulsion. All children were examined by a n otolaryngology resident within 6 h of admission. Nine children were noted to have ASOM and 18 had acute tonsillitis. The otolaryngology re sident's opinion of the condition of the ears and throat often differe d from that of the admitting pediatric resident, as documented in the clinical records. We review the recent literature on febrile convulsio ns and discuss the possible role of the otolaryngologist in the preven tion of seizure recurrence.