Absceso epidural intracraneal en neonato secundario a catéter cutáneo

Abstract

Intracranial epidural abscesses are uncommon lesions, being more frequents in older children and adults. They commonly arise as a result of direct extension of a preexisting infection and rarely present with focal deficit. We present a case of a 11-days old preterm infant who developed an intracranial epidural abscess as a result of an infected scalp vein catheter. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the cranial ultrasound and CT scan images. An identified strain of Enterococcus faecium was cultured from all the samples. The patient underwent a right frontal craniotomy with drainage of the abscess and a 2-week total course of intravenous antibiotics was administrated. CT scan imaging 3 week after the procedure demonstrated no evidence of residual lesion. When present, a scalp vein catheter, in absence of others predisponing factors, must be considered as an etiologic agent for an intracranial epidural abscess in this age-group.