Central nervous system infection after Onyx embolisation of arterio-venous malformations in two paediatric patients

Increasingly, Onyx is used for endovascular embolization of aneurysms and arterio-venous malformations. Although reports in the literature on the use of Onyx are favourable, there have been so far no reports on the central nervous system (CNS) infection rate after embolisation with Onyx and no recommendations as to the management of these infections.

We present two cases of paediatric patients who acquired CNS infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa after Onyx embolisation of AVMs and describe their subsequent management.

Presence of established infection after Onyx embolisation should be dealt with by removal of infected material, administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy and supportive treatment.