Objectives Luc’s abscess (subperiosteal collection beneath the temporalis muscle) is a rare complication of acute otitis media. We aim to contribute a case report to the existing literature and to provide an up-to-date review on all the existing publications to offer more standardised clinical features and surgical management of these patients. Design A systematic review of the literature was carried out for published cases describing a Luc’s abscess which complicated a presentation of otitis media, confirmed through radiological investigations, written in the English language. The collected data were merged and clinically appraised. Results A total of 36 cases were include. The different surgical treatment approaches can broadly be divided into three groups: abscess drainage alone, abscess drainage with myringotomy and grommet insertion, or abscess drainage with mastoidectomy. Only one patient opted to be treated medically with intravenous antibiotics without any surgical intervention with subsequent clinical improvement. Conclusions The clinical picture of patients with Luc’s abscess overlaps and certainly help to confirm suspicions of the diagnosis prior to radiological confirmation. Although intracranial complications such as intraoperative evidence of purulent mastoiditis have been sufficiently reported, the limited pool of data is not sufficient to advocate for mastoidectomy in all cases with radiological evidence of disease over a more conservative surgical approach for drainage of the abscess. The decision to avoid or perform a mastoidectomy first line should be considered on a case-by-case basis, carefully considering factors such as clinical assessment and radiology, especially when the case concerns a paediatric patient.