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Brain abscess in pediatric age: a review
Chiara Mameli1, Teresa Genoni2, Cristina Madia2
1Department of Pediatrics, V. Buzzi Childrens' Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. chiara.mameli@unimi.it.
Insights
Pediatric brain abscess is a rare, serious infection. While incidence and mortality have decreased due to better treatments, there
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Pediatric brain abscess is a rare but severe infection.
- High morbidity and mortality rates are associated with this condition.
- Specific risk factors often predispose children to brain abscess.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of the art regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric brain abscess.
- To synthesize existing literature on brain abscess management in children.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed.
- Keywords included "brain abscess," "cerebral abscess," "brain infection," and related terms.
- Original articles, case reports, and reviews were included.
Main Results:
- Incidence and mortality of brain abscess have declined due to advances in antibiotic therapy, neurosurgery, and vaccinations.
- Conflicting data exist regarding optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategies due to a lack of established guidelines.
- Epidemiological trends may shift with evolving risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Further multicentric prospective studies are needed to establish robust evidence for brain abscess management.
- Standardized diagnostic-therapeutic pathways are crucial for improving patient outcomes.
- Ongoing monitoring of epidemiological changes is important for adapting treatment strategies.
Objective:
The purpose of the paper is to examine the current state of the art about epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this infection.
Methods:
A review of the literature was performed through a PubMed search of original articles, case reports, and reviews using the key words "brain abscess," "cerebral abscess," "brain infection," "intracranial suppuration," "otogenic brain abscess," "otitis complications," and "sinusitis complications."
Results:
Pediatric brain abscess is a rare but serious infection, often involving patients with specific risk factors and burdened by a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Brain abscess incidence and mortality decreased over the years, thanks to improved antibiotic therapy, new neurosurgical techniques, and the wide spread of vaccinations. There are no guidelines for the adequate diagnostic-therapeutic pathway in the management of brain abscesses; therefore, conflicting data emerge from the literature. In the future, multicentric prospective studies should be performed in order to obtain stronger evidences about brain abscesses management. Over the next few years, changes in epidemiology could be observed because of risk factors changes.
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