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Brain abscesses in the young.

Brain abscesses in the young are rare. Only 14 such abscesses have been seen at Texas Children's Hospital since 1968. Most abscesses developed in association with congenital heart disease (5), although sinusitis and mastoiditis were precipitating causes in two patients and one patient, respectively. The latter three patients' cases are reviewed in detail. Clinical and bacteriologic findings in all patients are discussed. There were signs of increased intracranial pressure in nine patients (64%). All abscesses were drained; in several, repeated drainage was necessary. Anaerobic organisms were recovered in six patients (43%), aerobic organisms were recovered in five (36%), and both were recovered in two (14%). In one patient no growth was reported. Antimicrobial therapy was administered to all patients but one, whose abscess was completely excised. Morbidity and mortality remained significant: three patients (21%) died and one has a residual hemiparesis.

Adolescent↗

Brain abscess--then and now.

The varieties of brain abscess seen in Papua New Guinea are very much those seen by Sir William Macewen a century ago. A plea is made for early referral, and the essentials of surgical management are outlined.

Brain Abscess↗

[MRI of brain abscesses].

Four cases of brain abscess were examined on 1.5T MR and their findings were evaluated retrospectively. Preoperative cases had relatively characteristic findings, such as 1) peripheral edema producing hypointensity on T1-weighted images (T1WI) and hyperintensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI); 2) central necrosis with abscess fluid hypointense relative to white matter on T1WI and hyperintense on T2WI; 3) abscess rim iso- to hypointense on T2WI. Gd-DTPA enhanced T1WI carried further information; comparison of iso- to hypointense rim on T2WI (abscess rim) and enhanced area by Gd-DTPA on T1WI suggested that the former represented zone of macrophage infiltration.

Adult↗

Production of experimental brain abscess in the rat.

Experimental evaluation of brain abscess has been inhibited by the lack of a simple and reproducible model in small animals. A stereotaxic headholder and slow infusion of 1 microliter of saline, containing a known number of bacteria, were used to produce brain abscess consistently in the rat. The natural history of the brain abscess produced by this technique closely simulated that found in the human clinical situation.

Animals↗

[Brain abscess and ventriculitis associated with entrapment of the lateral ventricle appearing more like remarkable brain edema than ventricular dilatation--a case report].

We present a case with brain abscess associated with entrapment of the lateral ventricle appearing more like remarkable brain edema in the temporo-occipital lobe than ventricular dilatation. A 72-year-old man suffering from headache and vomiting visited our clinic. CT and MRI showed brain abscess in the right parieto-occipital lobe, associated with ventriculitis. Lumbar puncture also revealed purulent meningitis. Both symptoms and CSF findings improved after administration of antibiotics. The improved condition continued for two months after admission, but disturbed consciousness and left hemiparesis than appeared. MRI and CT showed entrapment of the lateral ventricle and brain edema of the right temporo-occipital region without ventricular dilatation. Because brain edema was thought to be caused by transudate of the CSF through the ventricular wall, lobectomy of the right temporal lobe and opening of the temporal horn were carried out. Although left hemiparesis and disturbed consciousness and brain edema disappeared after the operation, subdural effusion appeared. Using a subdural-peritoneal shunt, the subdural effusion was prevented and disappeared. In this case, we thought Hounsfield Unit (HU) of the brain edema caused by transudate of CSF through the ventricular wall (12.6) was markedly lower than that of so-called vasogenic edema (25.1) due to active inflammation. Measurement of the HU seemed to be a useful means to differentiate the types of brain edema in this situation from that of vasogenic edema caused by brain abscess, and thus a means for selection of the appropriate treatment.

Aged↗

Stereotactic operation for brain abscess.

Stereotactic management of brain abscess (stereotactic aspiration with external drainage) was performed in 14 patients. Fifteen abscesses in 14 patients were successfully aspirated by this method. After aspiration of the abscess, all patients underwent external drainage for an average of 14.5 days. No complications during aspiration or during external drainage (such as bleeding or infection, respectively) were encountered in our series. Ten out of 14 patients (71.4%) showed excellent prognosis, and 3 of 14 (21.4%) showed good outcome. Only one patient died after the operation, but this was due to lung cancer. Our operative results are quite satisfactory in comparison with operative results reported by other authors.

Adult↗

Puncture wound of the eyelid causing brain abscess.

A case of brain abscess following an apparently trival puncture wound to the eyelid is presented to emphasize the importance of meticulous examination of eye wounds in children to look for penetration into the cranial vault. Any suggestion of such penetrating injury either by history, examination, or X-ray should dictate neurosurgical consultation, and immediate local culture and debridement of the wound. If nonoperative management is elected, a careful watch must be kept for signs of infection, which dictate early exploration, and broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage of Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms common to penetrating skull trauma.

Brain Abscess↗

Persistent immune activation associated with a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced experimental brain abscess.

We have established a mouse experimental brain abscess model using Staphylococcus aureus where lesion sites are greatly exaggerated compared to the localized area of initial infection, reminiscent of an overactive immune response. Here we demonstrate the prolonged expression of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2/CXCL2), concomitant with a chronic disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in mice with S. aureus-induced brain abscess. These changes correlated with the continued presence of infiltrating neutrophils and macrophages/microglia. Collectively these findings suggest that the excessive tissue damage that often results from brain abscess may be mediated, in part, by the perpetuation of antibacterial immune responses that are not downregulated in a timely manner.

Animals↗

Cerebrovascular permeability and delivery of gentamicin to normal brain and experimental brain abscess in rats.

Antibiotics vary widely in their ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. In studies of 70 rats, the permeability of the normal blood-brain barrier to gentamicin was shown to be poor. In experimental brain abscesses, during the cerebritic stage of development, the penetration of intravenous antibiotics was increased compared to normal brain but was very inconsistent. Antibiotic delivery to brain abscess was not significantly altered with the administration of high-dose steroids, but the macrophage and glial response was markedly decreased with high-dose steroid therapy. Reversible osmotic blood-brain barrier modification with mannitol increased the delivery of gentamicin both to brain abscess and to the surrounding brain. It also resulted in more consistent tissue drug levels. The clinical implications of these studies suggest that, because of the inconsistent delivery of gentamicin to brain abscess, the therapeutic efficacy of medical management alone may be quite variable. This mode of therapy could possibly increase the efficacy of medical management of brain abscesses, especially in patients with multiple or surgically inaccessible brain abscesses.

Animals↗

Computerized tomography-guided stereotactic aspiration of brain abscesses: experience with 28 cases.

BACKGROUND: Computerized tomography (CT)-guided stereotactic techniques allow accurate identification of brain abscesses and provide promising results for the management of brain abscesses. METHODS: We reviewed the results of stereotactic aspiration of brain abscesses in 28 consecutive patients from 1984 to 1995. In all patients, the diagnosis of brain abscess was made by computerized tomography (CT). All patients underwent stereotactic aspiration of abscesses as the primary surgical therapy. Intravenous antibiotics were administered preoperatively and adjusted according to organism type and sensitivity to antibiotics. In patients with multiple lesions, aspirations were performed on abscesses larger than 2 cm in diameter or on those causing significant mass effects. CT was performed weekly to monitor abscess growth or failure to resolve. Patients were followed on an outpatient basis. This report is a retrospective review of clinical features, diagnostic methods, treatment and postoperative results. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients had good recoveries and six patients had mild neurologic sequelae. One patient had persistent conscious impairment. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in one patient. Two deaths occurred during hospitalization. One patient with a fungal infection underwent additional surgical excision of the abscess. Most patients had resolution of abscesses after stereotactic treatment within two months. The cure rate was 92% in patients with bacterial brain abscesses treated with stereotactic aspiration and intravenous antibiotics for six weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic surgery is a procedure with minimal morbidity and mortality, and can be the treatment of choice for brain abscesses when combined with appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Adult↗

Epilepsy and brain abscess.

Among 22 children who had recovered from brain abscess, 9 later developed epilepsy. Epilepsy developing as a consequence of brain abscess depends on the length of the catamnestic period and the localization of the abscess. The appearance of epilepsy is more frequent after frontal and temporal abscesses and in cases presenting symptoms in the acute phase of the abscess. Since epilepsy may develop years or even decades after recovery from the brain abscess, it is recommended to keep the patient under control for years.

Adolescent↗

Current treatment strategies and factors influencing outcome in patients with bacterial brain abscess.

We clearly determined the key to managing patients with brain abscess by retrospectively evaluating the factors affecting poor outcome in these patients. This study included 113 patients with brain abscess diagnosed in the CT era. Basic characteristics and therapeutic parameters were estimated as independent predictors of poor outcome by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Patients with poor outcomes more frequently had deeply-located abscesses (p < 0.02), IVROBA (intraventricular rupture of brain abscess (p < 0.001) and were in a severely deteriorated neurological state (p < 0.001) than those with good outcomes. Multiple logistic regression analysis predicted that IVROBA (ORs, 24.5; 95% CI, 3.04 to 197.9) and severely deteriorated cases (ORs, 13.7; 95% CI, 2.34 to 80.8) resulting from IVROBA increased the relative risk of poor outcome. Patients with IVROBA more frequently had also deeply-located abscesses (p < 0.005), positively immunocompromised states (p < 0.05) and were in a severely deteriorated condition (p < 0.003) than those without IVROBA. Patients with metastatic abscess had also IVROBA (p < 0.006). Multiple logistic regression analysis anticipated that deeply-located abscess (ORs, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.38 to 11.04), and metastatic abscess (ORs, 12.26; 95% CI, 1.35 to 111.2) increased the relative risk of IVROBA. Patients in an obtunded state and with marked neurological deficit had IVROBA more often than patients in an alert state and/or mild neurological deficit (ORs, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.17 to 8.86, p < 0.03) before treatment. Our findings suggest that IVROBA strongly influences poor outcome in patients with brain abscess. The key to decreasing poor outcomes may be the prevention and management of IVROBA, by evaluating intracranial pressure pathophysiology. IVROBA should be aggressively treated by aspiration methods for the abscess coupled with appropriate intravenous and intrathecial administration of antibiotics.

Adolescent↗

Hemispheric brain abscess: a review of 46 cases.

BACKGROUND: Brain abscess is a space occupying lesion that still prevails in many developing countries but less common in developed countries. It can be a preventable cause of fatal illness if diagnosed and treated appropriately. There is little or no information of the condition in Ghana. In this review we report our experience at the Neurosurgical unit of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) over a four year period. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of 46 patients with brain abscess(es) seen between January 1994-December 1998 was carried out at the Neurosurgical unit of KBTH, Accra, Ghana. Using hospital records of 46 patients an evaluation of computerized tomography (CT) scans of brain abscesses and the different methods of surgical treatment were made. RESULTS: 33 (72%) were male and 13 (28%) were female. 32 (70%) of the patients were aged 20 years or younger. Brain C.T. Scan was the main diagnostic imaging study performed on all the patients. In all but one case the diagnosis was a solitary abscess (98%). 38 patients (83%) had burr hole drainage under sedation and local anaesthesia and 12 under general anaesthesia. All patients were managed with appropriate antibiotics and steroids. There were 5 fatalities. CONCLUSION: Simple burr hole drainage combined with appropriate medical treatment was found to be satisfactory in managing these patients.

Adolescent↗

[Roentgeno-radiological diagnosis of rhinosinusogenic brain abscesses].

Analysis is made of the data obtained in the use of a complex of diagnostic ++roentgeno-radiological methods in 26 patients with rhinosinusogenous abscesses of the brain. There are convincing examples that the complex (cerebral angiography, gamma-topography of the brain, computer-aided tomography, NMR tomography) enables the identification of the reliable and informative sings of the localization, size, spreading, multiplicity and multicompartmental nature of brain abscesses.

Adolescent↗

Brain abscess: with special reference to otolaryngologic sources of infection.

The number of brain abscesses has been reduced since the preantibiotic era. This was accomplished by judicious use of antibiotics, by the advent of computed tomography, and by improvements in patient care and surgical techniques. Analysis from 122 patients with brain abscess demonstrated this trend of progress. Our series had a 3.2-to-1 male predominance. The underlying conditions included otolaryngologic infections (26 cases), cyanotic heart diseases (27 cases), implantation abscess (25 cases), lung infections (5 cases), meningitis (4 cases), osteomyelitis (2 cases), decreased immunity from chronic systemic diseases (12 cases), and unknown causes (21 cases). Otolaryngologic subgroups can be detailed as chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma (15 cases), chronic otitis media with mastoiditis (4 cases), sinusitis (2 cases), esophageal stenosis (3 cases), cheek cellulitis (1 case), and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (1 case). The initial symptoms and signs were headache (46 cases), fever (36 cases), altered consciousness (30 cases), neurologic deficits (33 cases), vomiting (11 cases), and seizure (17 cases). Of the brain abscesses treated, multiple brain abscess represented 16.4% of all cases. The overall percentage of patients with full recovery was 52.5%, whereas 84.8% of otolaryngologic subgroup recovered fully. The overall mortality was 19.7%. The mortality rate of brain abscess from otolaryngologic sources was 3.8%, whereas that from nonotolaryngologic sources was 24%.

Adolescent↗