High-resolution ultrasound evaluation of experimental brain abscess evolution: comparison with computed tomography and neuropathology

Computed tomographic (CT) and high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) imaging of experimental brain abscess were correlated with neuropathologic findings in nine mongrel dogs. The HRUS scan was more sensitive to different histologic features than the CT scan but both accurately delineated the evolution of the experimental brain abscess. All stages of abscess evolution were characterized by an appearance of an echogenic rim with a hypoechoic center. In the early stages the echogenicity of the abscess was related primarily to marked cellular infiltration, while in the late stages extensive collagen deposition correlated closely with the echo pattern. The size of the abscess in the cerebritis stages appeared smaller on the HRUS scan than on the CT scan because the latter modality detected the extensive cerebritis around the developing necrotic center whereas the HRUS scan did not. This discrepancy disappeared in the capsule stages. The HRUS scan provided a more accurate depiction of the neuropathologic characteristics of the necrotic than did the CT scan. Healing of the abscess, indicated by a decrease in size of the hypoechoic center, was accurately detected by the HRUS scan.