title: Brain abscess of unknown etiology in a 2-year-old child: a case report.
abstract: We present a case of brain abscess necroptically discovered in a 2-year-old child hospitalized in the Pediatrics Clinic of the "Filantropia" Municipal Hospital, Craiova, Romania. The family, with a poor financial situation, reports previous episodes that may be interpreted as comitial crises. Clinically speaking, he presents a height-weight hypertrophia, vitamin D loss rickets, and psychomotor retardation. At the objective examination, we found a weight of 10 500 g (!), second and third degree mesocardiac systolic beat and cardiomegaly in the thorax-cardiac-pulmonary X-ray examination. Despite the intensive treatment, death occurs few hours after hospitalization. During the autopsy, there is observed a partial dehiscence of the cranial arch sutures, with a 6/5 cm ovalary cavity in the parietal lobe, containing approximately 200 mL of yellow-green serous liquid, with uneven walls, but with no hemorrhagic or puss infiltrates. The heart is enlarged (in comparison to the general somatic development) of 9/7/4 cm, without any cardiac malformations. The microscopic examination showed degenerative neuronal and ischemic lesions on the left-brain hemisphere. Comparing to the data from specialty literature, we consider it as a yellow brain softening (according to Rokitansky's classification), most probably of an embolic cause.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, "Filantropia" Municipal Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania; ramnedelcuta@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Georgeta Ligia
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Stănescu
authors.forename: Ramona Mihaela
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: NedelcuŢă
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dop
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Diaconu
authors.forename: Gigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Călin
authors.forename: Elena Carmen
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Niculescu
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gheonea
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stănescu
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anghelina
authors.forename: Mihail Relu
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Stănescu
mesh_terms: D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male