[Progress in the management of pyogenic cerebral abscesses in non-immunocompromised patients]

Advances in radiological techniques over the last two decades have enabled establishing well-defined clinical and radiological signs for the diagnosis of cerebral abscess. Conversely, no consensus has been reached on the appropriate therapeutic management. To date, there has been no published randomized therapeutic trial dedicated to cerebral abscesses, probably because of low incidence. Progress in bacterial epidemiology, imaging techniques allowing early diagnosis, and antibiotic therapy have however generated a shift towards more frequent use of shorter, exclusively medical, treatment. Based on a review of the literature, we present and discuss the treatments usually applied in specialized departments for non-immunocompromised patients.