[The clinical picture and differential diagnosis of rhinosinogenic brain abscesses]

Some specific features of the course of rhinosinogenic brain abscesses (RBA) in adults and children were distinguished on the basis of analysis of the clinical data in 49 patients. RBA is encountered more frequently among adults and rarely among children, especially those of young age. In adults RBA are mostly consequent upon chronic frontitis or polysinusitis, while in children they occur after maxillary sinusitis, and in young children also after acute purulent processes in the nasal cavity. The contact route of infection of the cranial cavity and solitary abscesses are usually encountered in adults, and the hematogenous-metastatic route in children with the formation of solitary RBA and, in many cases, of multiple and multichamber abscesses. In children the abscesses grow to a large size. The hypertension syndrome is clearly defined in adults, while the hydrocephalus-hypertension syndrome comes to the forefront in children. The infectious-toxic symptoms are more marked in children. Focal neurologic symptomatology is manifested more markedly in adults and is less marked and labile in children.