Clinical characteristics and treatments of patients with multiloculated pyogenic brain abscess

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment choice of patients with multiloculated pyogenic brain abscess (MLPBA).Methods The clinical data of 89 patients with pyogenic brain abscess (including 20 with MLPBA and 69 with uniloculated pyogenic brain abscess [ULPBA]) treated during the recent 21 years (1991-2011) were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results MLPBA patients counted for 22.5％ of our patients with pyogenic brain abscess.The male-female ratio,age distribution,history duration,location of abscess,kinds of isolated microorganisms,predisposing factors and clinical manifestations of patients with MCPAB were similar to those of patients with ULPBA.The ratio of positive isolated microorganism and ratio breaking into ventricles in patients with MLPBA were significantly higher than those in patients with ULPBA (P＜0.05); and the average volume of abscess was 8.8 mL in patients with MLPBA and 13.3 mL in patients with ULPBA.A higher rate of abscess recurrence after stereotactic surgery in patients with MLPBA (26.7％) was found as compared with that in patients with ULPBA (3.2％).The mortality in patients with MLPBA was 0％ and that in patients with ULPBA was 4.3％.Conclusion MLPBA is not rare; the volume of abscess in patients with MLPBA is significantly smaller than that in patients with ULPBA,but the abscess in patients with MLPBA is significantly easier broken into the ventricles than that of ULPBA.Stereotactic operation is the first treatment choice; the prognosis for patients with MLPBA can be as good as that for patients with ULPBA,although the possibility of recurrent abscess formation after surgery is higher. Key words: Pyogenic brain abscess; Multilocular; Clinical characteristic; Treatment