Pott's puffy tumor, first described by Sir Percivall Pott

Percivall Pott

Sir Percivall Pott London, England) was an English surgeon, one of the founders of orthopedy, and the first scientist to demonstrate that a cancer may be caused by an environmental carcinogen.-Life:...

 in 1760, is characterized by an osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis simply means an infection of the bone or bone marrow...

 of the frontal bone, either direct or through haematogenic spread. This results in a swelling on the forehead, hence the name. The infection can also spread inwards, leading to an intracranial abscess

Abscess

An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides due to an infectious process or other foreign materials...

. This type of chronic osteomyelitis of the frontal bone is confused with acute sub-periosteal abscess of the frontal bone, which presents as a discrete collection over the frontal sinus.

Although it can affect all ages, it is mostly found among teenagers and adolescents.

Etiology

• Frontal sinusitis
  Sinusitis
  Sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may be due to infection, allergy, or autoimmune issues. Most cases are due to a viral infection and resolve over the course of 10 days...
  
  (most common)
• A trauma may be present in the history
• Intranasal cocaine / methamphetamine abuse
• Craniotomy (rare)

Treatment

Treatment generally consists of surgical drainage, and long-term (6 to 8 weeks) use of antibiotics.