Successful Sonographically Guided Drainage of Epidural Abscess

Abstract

WEB This is a Web exclusive article. pidural abscesses are most commonly found in the older pediatric age group (12–16 years) and adults; they are relatively rare in younger children [1]. Epidural abscesses are almost always secondary to or associated with other infections such as mastoiditis, sinusitis, postoperative infection, osteomyelitis of the skull, or complications of trauma or surgery [2, 3]. Traditional management of epidural abscesses in children involves neurosurgical drainage and antibiotic therapy [3, 4]. Techniques for neurosurgical drainage include evacuation of the epidural collection through a burr hole or a craniotomy [3]. Given the availability of more powerful antibiotics, the trend toward using less invasive alternatives for evacuation of epidural abscesses [3] has grown. In that light, we report on the percutaneous drainage of an intracranial epidural abscess using sonography guidance in a 15year-old boy.