Ear and audiology: cerebellar abscess in chronic ear disease: practice question

A ENT question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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ENT · Ear and audiology: cerebellar abscess in chronic ear disease

Sample item

A man with long-standing foul attic discharge develops fever, vomiting and headache. He has gross intention tremor of the right arm, ataxia and coarse nystagmus to the right on right gaze. Which complication is most likely?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Cerebellar abscess

In atticoantral disease, erosion of the posterior fossa plate allows spread to the cerebellum. Ipsilateral intention tremor, ataxia, nystagmus towards the lesion and dysdiadochokinesia point to the cerebellum. A temporal lobe abscess typically gives dysphasia (dominant side) and a contralateral upper quadrant field defect.

Option by option

  • A. Cerebellar abscess (correct)

    Correct. Ipsilateral cerebellar signs with ear disease indicate a cerebellar abscess.

  • B. Lateral sinus thrombosis

    Lateral sinus thrombosis gives picket-fence fever and mastoid tenderness, not focal cerebellar signs.

  • C. Temporal lobe abscess

    A temporal lobe abscess gives dysphasia and visual field loss, not cerebellar signs.

  • D. Frontal lobe abscess

    A frontal lobe abscess is rare from the ear and gives personality change.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More ENT questions

Questions about this ENT question

What is the answer to this ENT question?

The best answer is A, Cerebellar abscess. In atticoantral disease, erosion of the posterior fossa plate allows spread to the cerebellum.

Why is "Lateral sinus thrombosis" not the answer?

Lateral sinus thrombosis gives picket-fence fever and mastoid tenderness, not focal cerebellar signs.

Why is "Temporal lobe abscess" not the answer?

A temporal lobe abscess gives dysphasia and visual field loss, not cerebellar signs.

Why is "Frontal lobe abscess" not the answer?

A frontal lobe abscess is rare from the ear and gives personality change.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Ear and audiology: cerebellar abscess in chronic ear disease in ENT. Ipsilateral intention tremor, ataxia, nystagmus towards the lesion and dysdiadochokinesia point to the cerebellum. A temporal lobe abscess typically gives dysphasia (dominant side) and a contralateral upper quadrant field defect.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Ear and audiology: cerebellar abscess in chronic ear disease?

Learn tuning fork results and audiogram patterns by sketching them. Then use the flashcards and the other ENT questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.