Brain abscess: clinical aspects of 100 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To verify if, in the last two decades, there have been any changes in epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of patients with brain abscess.


METHODS
We studied retrospectively 100 patients discharged over a 17-year period from Ca' Foncello Regional Hospital, Treviso, Italy with a diagnosis of brain abscess.


RESULTS
Post-surgical abscesses were more frequent than those related to contiguous infections and the spectrum of etiologic agents was very heterogeneous. A cerebral neoplasm was the initial neuroradiological diagnosis in 13 patients; 72 patients underwent a neurosurgical procedure. A comatose state at presentation was associated with an unfavourable outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
With the exception of some epidemiological aspects, which varied from the literature, in spite of the improvements in diagnostic procedures and treatment, no significant changes occurred in the prognosis of patients with brain abscess.
Tonon
Eva
E
Infectious Diseases Division, Ca' Foncello Regional Hospital, Piazza Ospedale, 31100 Treviso, Italy. evatonon@tiscali.it
Scotton
Pier Giorgio
PG
Gallucci
Maurizio
M
Vaglia
Alberto
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome