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Published on: October 29, 2014
[Clinical and bacteriological features of six cases with intracranial abscess in childhood]
Tadashi Hoshino1, Akira Nakamura
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Chiba Children's Hospital.
Insights
This study on pediatric intracranial abscesses found that prompt diagnosis and combined surgical drainage with antimicrobial therapy led to good outcomes in most cases. Early intervention is crucial for managing brain abscesses in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurosurgery
Context:
- Intracranial abscesses in children are rare but serious infections.
- Diagnosis can be delayed, impacting patient outcomes.
- Underlying conditions like congenital heart disease and sinusitis increase risk.
Purpose:
- To review the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric intracranial abscesses.
- To identify key factors influencing patient recovery.
- To highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and intervention.
Summary:
- A retrospective review of 5 pediatric intracranial abscess cases (1988-2001) at Chiba-Children's Hospital.
- Common pathogens included Streptococcus milleri group and oral anaerobes.
- Combined surgical drainage and antimicrobial therapy resulted in good outcomes, with one medically treated case recurring.
Impact:
- Demonstrates the effectiveness of combined surgical and medical management for pediatric brain abscesses.
- Highlights the need for early diagnosis to prevent complications.
- Provides insights into the common pathogens and risk factors in pediatric intracranial infections.
Abstract:
From October 1988 to March 2001, 5 patients with 6 episodes of intracranial abscesses were admitted to Chiba-Children's Hospital. Average age when they were admitted was 10 years and 1 month. Initial clinical symptoms were fever in 5 cases, and headache in 1 case. It took 21 days from the appearance of the initial symptoms to diagnose the intracranial abscess. Four out of 5 patients had underlying diseases that were prone to cause intracranial abscess. Two patients of these were cyanotic congenital heart diseases (tetralogy of Fallot and asplenic heart), and the other 2 were sinusitis. Computed tomography revealed that brain abscess was found in 5 cases, and subdural empyema in 1 case. There were 3 single and multiple abscesses each. The most common lesion was the temporal lobe. Eight bacterial strains were isolated from 5 cases. Five were streptococci (3 were Streptococcus milleri group, other 2 were Streptococcus oralis and microaerophilic Streptococcus) and 3 were anaerobes (Prevotella loescheii, Prevotella bivia and Fusobacterium nucleatum). Antimicrobial therapy was started with panipenem-betamiprone in 3 cases, imipenem-cilastatin, ceftriaxone, and ampicillin in the other cases resre ctinely. Duration of therapy ranged from 28 to 67 days (45 days, average). In 5 cases, drainage with craniotomy was performed in addition to antimicrobial therapy. One case was treated medically alone, but this was the only case with recurrence after 1 year 2 months. There were no serious complications such as intraventricular rupture of abscess. All patients had good outcomes, but mild neurological sequela was found in 1 case.
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