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[Otogenic and rhinogenic brain abscesses in children]
Insights
Brain abscesses in children, often originating from ear (otogenic) or nose (rhinogenic) infections, are challenging to diagnose but treatable with surgery. Advances in diagnosis and treatment have reduced mortality rates in recent years.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Infectious Diseases
Context:
- Otogenic and rhinogenic brain abscesses in children represent a significant portion of pediatric neurosurgical cases.
- These abscesses, originating from ear or nose infections, pose diagnostic challenges in pediatric patients.
Purpose:
- To analyze the characteristics, diagnosis, and management of otogenic and rhinogenic brain abscesses in children.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical interventions and identify factors influencing outcomes.
Summary:
- A study of 25 pediatric brain abscess cases revealed that otogenic (15) and rhinogenic (10) abscesses are common.
- Computer tomography is crucial for diagnosis, and surgical interventions like aspiration and drainage are employed.
- While overall lethality was 36%, no deaths occurred in the last 5 years, indicating improved outcomes.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of advanced imaging like CT scans for early and accurate diagnosis of pediatric brain abscesses.
- Demonstrates the effectiveness of surgical management, with a trend towards zero mortality in recent cases.
- Underscores the need for prompt neurosurgical intervention for improved patient survival and outcomes in pediatric brain abscesses.
Abstract:
Otogenic and rhinogenic abscesses of the brain in children (25 cases) constitute 4.4% of neurosurgical pathologies and 26.9% of all brain abscesses in children. Rhinogenic abscesses (10 cases) were located in the frontal lobes and otogenic abscesses (15 cases) were found supra- or subtentorially. It is difficult to diagnose brain abscesses in children. In this respect computer tomography is very valuable. All the above patients underwent surgical intervention, which included such methods as aspiration, drainage and block removal. The lethality rate was 36%, although during the last 5 years (9 cases) no lethal cases were recorded.