Pott puffy tumor is an infection characterized by abscess formation and osteomyelitis in the frontal bone subperiosteum with adjacent forehead soft tissue swelling. The swelling and abscess arise out of the ethmoid and frontal sinuses.

It is most often a complication of acute rhinosinusitis, and many patients will present with symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis for several days prior to the development of headache, photophobia, emesis, and forehead swelling that can be indicative of Pott puffy tumor. Some patients develop Pott puffy tumor after trauma to the forehead. The prevalence of Pott puffy tumor has declined with improved recognition and antibiotic treatment for acute sinusitis. It occurs more commonly in children and is rare, but it can also occur in adults.

Abscesses in Pott puffy tumor are often polymicrobial and caused by anaerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus species, and Streptococcus species. Without treatment, which often combines medical and surgical intervention, Pott puffy tumor can result in more severe infection and complications in the skull bones and soft tissue about the frontal lobe as well as epidural, subdural, or brain abscesses. Untreated, this can result in hemiparesis, aphasia, obtundation, or other devastating neurologic injuries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical in Pott puffy tumor.