Brain Abscess In Children Research Articles

P-6-711 - Dianostics and surgical treatment of brain abscess in children

P-6-711 - Dianostics and surgical treatment of brain abscess in children

Topical Review: Brain Abscess in Children: Microbiology and Management

Brain abscess is a serious, life-threatening infection. The infection can originate from contiguous sites of existing infections, such as chronic otitis media, dental infection, mastoiditis, or sinusitis, where anaerobic bacteria predominate. The infection can also occur in children with cyanotic congenital heart disease, in whom the predominant organisms are viridans, microaerophilic, or anaerobic streptococci, or after head trauma, in which case Staphylococcus aureus, viridans cocci, and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most prevalent isolates. Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, yeast, fungi, and mycobacteria are prevalent in the immunocompromised. Radioisotope brain scans, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are important tools that enable accurate diagnosis of the infection. Proper selection of antimicrobial with good intracranial penetration is essential in the management of intracranial infection. Delay in surgical drainage can be associated with high mortality or morbidity. However, brain abscess, especially in the early phase of cerebritis, may respond to antimicrobial therapy without surgical drainage.

Brain abscess in children at chulalongkorn hospital

Brain abscess in children at chulalongkorn hospital

Management of brain abscess in children: review of 130 cases over a period of 21 years.

The data on 130 children with brain abscesses treated over 21 years (1970-1990) were analyzed retrospectively. The whole group included four infants. Chronic ear infection and cyanotic congenital heart disease were the most common predisposing factors. In infants, meningitis and/or ventriculitis were dominant in the etiopathogenesis. Cases were evaluated according to the treatment received and also according to time periods. More than half of the patients (n = 74) in this series were treated by primary or secondary excision. Computed tomography (CT) facilitated the diagnosis and helped the planning of treatment. Aspiration gained increasing credit after the advent of CT. Microorganisms could be identified in 54% of the cultured specimens. Staphylococci, streptococci and Proteus were the dominating microorganisms. Penicillin and chloramphenicol have long been the mainstay of antimicrobial therapy but have recently been replaced by third-generation cephalosporins and sulbactam-ampicillin combinations. Overall mortality was 15.5% but showed a decline from 30% in the pre-CT era to 6% in the last 5 years and to zero in the last three. Neither the location nor associated heart disease contributed to the mortality, but mortality among infants was as high as 50%.

Brain abscesses in children--a cooperative study of 83 cases.

This study reviews our experience in 83 cases of brain abscesses in children diagnosed at seven teaching hospitals during the 10-year period from June 1978 to July 1987. The average age of the patients was 7 years, with 12% of them less than 1 year old. The male-to-female ratio was 1.7:1. Of the brain abscesses, 90.4% were detected by CT brain scan. A total of 50.6% patients had congenital heart disease, and 20.4% patients had sepsis and/or meningitis. Only 6% cases had ear, nose, and throat infection. Sixty-eight (81.9%) patients received a combination of antibiotics and surgical treatment. The cerebral abscesses were totally excised in 26 cases, aspirated and partially excised in 6, and aspirated in 32. Sixty patients had pus cultures from the cerebral abscesses. Organisms were isolated in 29 (49.2%) of them. Streptococcus was by far the most common organism. The overall outcome was: 49 (59%) alive; 16 (19.3%) dead; 18 (21.7%) lost to follow-up. Among the 16 mortalities, the causes of death were due to failure to treat the diseases causing the brain abscesses. We had a better outcome in patients whose cerebral abscesses were totally excised or whose abscesses were aspirated, and in patients who were older than 1 year of age.

Current Concepts in the Pathogenesis and Management of Brain Abscesses in Children

Brain abscesses represent the most frequent intracranial suppurative process occurring in children. Improved bacteriologic techniques for isolating anaerobic microorganisms have shown that anaerobes play a major role in brain abscesses in conjunction with aerobic organisms such as alpha-streptococci. Computerized tomography has improved the diagnosis of brain abscesses and has changed the management in certain circumstances. Although surgical drainage still remains the definitive treatment modality, conservative medical management with serial CT scans has been successful. Still, the mortality and morbidity of brain abscesses remain substantial.

Brain abscess in children.

Brain abscess in children.

Brain abscess in children.

During that last 6 years, 100 children have been treated for brain abscess at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. Of these, 69 abscesses were otogenic. The treatment included aspiration of the abscess (84% of cases) and antibiotic therapy. CT scan as a diagnostic tool was available only for a few cases in the last year. In 16% of the cases the abscess was excised. The overall mortality was 21%. Of the surviving children, 76% recovered totally. Epilepsy as a sequel occurred in 21% of the cases. The fact that mortality continues to be high is attributed to the degree of impairment of consciousness of the children at the time of admission. Early detection and successful treatment of brain abscess in children still remain a clinical challenge.

Brain abscess in children.

In a series of 220 cases of brain abscesses, 96 children (44%) were below 15 yr of age. Abscesses in children under 1 yr of age were uncommon. The commonest predisposing factors were chronic suppurative otitis media and congenital cyanotic heart-disease. In a fifth of the cases no cause could be determined. The microbial analysis was complex and included both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Fever was recorded in only 40% of cases. In infants, only irritability combined with a tense fontanelle may be present. The diagnosis was dominated by the CTscan which revealed multiple loculi, multiple abscess and deep seated unsuspected lesions. The results of primary excision were decidedly better (12.7% mortality) then either secondary excision (28.7% mortality) or aspiration alone (42% mortality). Treatment has, however, to be individualised.

Brain Abscess in Childhood

During the last 15 years, 34 children were treated for a brain abscess. 13 (38%) had cyanotic heart disease; 12 (35%) had an ENT infection. The standardized treatment protocol included puncture of the abscess and administration of antibiotic and antiedematous drugs. Postoperative permanent epidural monitoring of intracranial pressure and, in the last 5 years, repeated CT scans indicated if retapping the abscess or reinforcing the antiedematous treatment was necessary. In 7 out of these 34 cases the abscess had to be excised. Postoperative mortality rate was 6%. Overall mortality rate was 12%. Neurological sequelae were slight. Epilepsy frequency was 10%. Mental retardation (18%) was found only in cyanotic congenital heart disease to which it is related. Repeated CT scans demonstrated the progressive disappearance of the capsule within a few months. This study shows an improvement in the results when brain abscesses in children are punctured rather than excised.

Brain abscesses in children: Improved outlook

Brain abscesses in children: Improved outlook

Cerebral abscess in children.

We reviewed 94 consecutive episodes of pyogenic brain abscess seen at Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, between 1945 and 1980. After 1970, the mortality as reduced from 36% to 14%. Predisposing factors included congenital heart disease, otitic and sinus infections, closed head injuries, and cystic fibrosis. There were seven patients younger than 5 months of age. In one patient with Fallot's tetralogy, an abscess recurred at the site of retained thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) after an 11-year interval. The continuing substantial mortality is attributed to the presence of coma at the time of treatment, hemorrhagic complications of tapping abscesses, and the location of abscesses in deep brain structures. The early detection and successful treatment of brain abscesses in children remains a clinical challenge.

Dental implications of brain abscess in children with congenital heart disease: Case report and review of the literature

There is a high morbidity and mortality associated with brain abscesses in children with congenital cyanotic heart disease. A case is reported here which implicated an endodontically treated primary molar in the etiology of a brain abscess in a boy with congenital cyanotic heart disease.

Brain Abscesses in Children

Brain Abscesses in Children

Brain abscess in children.

Brain abscess in children.

Brain abscess in children.

Brain abscess in children.

Management of brain abscesses in children and adolescents.

DESPITE modern antiobiotic therapy, brain abscess, unlike many other bacterial diseases, has remained a treacherous, life-threatening condition. In recent series, the mortality has remained from 25% to 50% in spite of improvements in technical operative skills, the range of available and effective antimicrobial drugs, and agents to lessen cerebral edema. 1-6 In the present study, we have reviewed the experiences of the Neurosurgical Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital with 30 consecutive patients with brain abscesses not older than 17 who were seen in the period 1946 through 1965. Occurrence In contrast to the experience reported at other medical centers, there has been no tendency for the number of brain abscesses to diminish at this hospital in the period covered by this study despite improved agents for treating bacterial infections elsewhere in the body. 2 Fifteen, or one half of the cases, were seen in the first decade of the

DIAGNOSIS OF BRAIN ABSCESS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

DIAGNOSIS OF BRAIN ABSCESS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN