Etiological data on cerebral abscesses

The authors stress the particular value of the bacteriological examination of the contents of cerebral abscesses. A homogeneous series of 188 cases is presented, of cerebral abscesses diagnosed between 1970 and 1979 in The Neurosurgical Clinic of Bucharest and etiological aspects are discussed in connection with 172 cases in which bacteriological investigations have been performed. In 131 of the patients the abscess contained a single strain of bacteria, in 13 other cases there were polymicrobial abscesses, and in 28 cases of cultures remained sterile. The preponderance of the gram-negative flora in these cases is stressed. Finally, the authors make a detailed description of the correlation between the etiology and the pathogenic, anatomic, evolutive and prognostic aspects of cerebral abscesses.