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Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Cerebral abscess after neuro-vascular embolization: Own experience and review of the literature
G Cossu1, R T Daniel2, M Messerer2
1Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. giulia.cossu@chuv.ch.
Background:
Cerebral abscesses are a rare complication after therapeutic neuro-endovascular procedures.
Method:
The aim of this article is to report a case of cerebral abscess after the endovascular embolization of a cerebral aneurysm and to discuss and review all the cases of cerebral abscess secondary to neurovascular embolization described in the literature up to now.
Results:
A 40-year-old female patient was treated using an endovascular embolization for a ruptured aneurysm of the basilar artery tip. After 2 months she presented with a cerebellar abscess. Antibiotic therapy was started, and a surgical drainage of the collection was performed, with a favorable postoperative outcome. Twelve other cases were reported in the literature, in five cases secondary to the treatment of a cerebral aneurysm, in six cases secondary to a cerebral arterio-venous malformation (AVM) and in one case secondary to a dural arterio-venous fistula (DAVF). The pathophysiology and risk factors of cerebral abscess formation are discussed in detail.
Conclusions:
The risk of cerebral abscesses after neuro-endovascular embolization is not negligible, and a growing number of patients affected by this complication may be expected in the near future because of the spreading of neuro-endovascular techniques. The role of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in specific subgroups of patients is still debated.
