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Updated: Oct 17, 2026

A Retrospective Study on Endoscopic Surgery for the Treatment of Paravertebral Abscess in Spinal Tuberculosis Patients
Published on: October 25, 2024
Unilateral chronic tuboovarian abscess secondary to ruptured colonic diverticulum presenting as a brain abscess. A
L Pompeo1, D S Heller, M R Hameed
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.
Background:
Tuboovarian abscesses (TOAs) are a somewhat unusual finding in postmenopausal patients without risk factors. We present a rare case of unilateral TOA initially presenting as a brain abscess in a postmenopausal woman.
Case:
A 61-year-old woman presented with a complaint of forgetfulness, nausea and vomiting, with lower abdominal pain and diarrhea. She was found to have a brain abscess, which was treated by craniotomy, with drainage of the abscess, and intravenous antibiotics. The patient was subsequently found to have a pelvic mass, which, on laparotomy, was a unilateral TOA. Pathology demonstrated that the abscess contained vegetable matter consistent with origin in a ruptured diverticulum.
Conclusion:
Diagnosis of a brain abscess should prompt a thorough investigation for a primary infectious source, including the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts.
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