Case report. Evolution of cerebral abscess: disparity between radionuclide and CT scans

The course of frontal lobe cerebritis in a teenage boy was followed with serial radionuclide and CT scans. During treatment with high doses of dexamethasone and antibiotics, the radionuclide scans became normal, whereas the CT scans remained abnormal and ultimately demonstrated an encapsulated abscess that was successfully drained. In patients receiving steroid therapy, the radionuclide brain scan may not be a reliable technique in demonstrating an intracranial abscess.