The Clinical Characteristics of Atraumatic Intracranial Abscess Patients

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate clinical characteristics of atraumatic intracranial abscesses according to analyze the medical records and imaging studies of patients. Methods: This study is performed with retrospective reviews of medical records of 15 patients which were admitted under the diagnosis as atraumatic intracranial abscess from 2004 to 2009. Results: The infection entities were 2 epidural abscess, 1 subdural abscess, and 13 brain abscesses. Among them, 8 cases were bacterial infections, 6 unknown organisms, and 1 toxoplasmosis. 14 patients were managed with surgical and medical treatments. 1 patient was treated with medication only. Generally, the outcome was good and no mortality was recorded. According to the results of this study, the preponderance of smoking and alcoholics of intracranial abscesses were suggested. Conclusion: To diagnose intracranial abscess accurately, more careful listening to the patient’s history including smoking, alcohol consumption, and disease is necessarily required. The prognosis of the intracranial abscess would be good if accurate results for pathogens, appropriate usage of antibioticis, and suitable surgical method were done. (J Kor Neurotraumatol Soc 2010;6:57-65)