title: Relationship between demography, etiology, level of consciousness, and outcome of surgical intracranial suppurations of bacterial origin in a tropical tertiary center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intracranial suppurations (ICS) of bacterial origin are associated with significant mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to review demography, etiology, level of consciousness, and outcome of surgical ICS in a tropical tertiary hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients admitted to the neurosurgical unit within the study period of 7 years that had a surgical intervention for their ICS were prospectively included in the study. In accordance with the unit protocol, all patients in whom there was clinical suspicion of ICS had a preoperative computed tomography scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging done. The following data among others were documented and recorded electronically: demography, clinical and radiological diagnosis, etiology of ICS, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, type of neurosurgical intervention, mode of anesthesia, and outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-nine patients were included in the study. There were 33 males with a male-to-female ratio of 2.1:1. All patients presented at least a week after the use of antibiotics. The most common type of ICS was cerebral abscess (33 patients, 67.3%). There was no statistical significant association between outcome and age group (P = 0.630), gender (P = 0.999), diagnosis (P = 0.464), etiology of ICS (P = 0.169), solitary or multiplicity of ICS (P = 0.485), or type of offending organism (P = 0.278).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ICS usually follows otorhinological infections in our center. The surgical outcome is dependent on the admission GCS score.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Neurosurgery Division, Lagos State University College of Medicine and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Olufemi Emmanuel
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Idowu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Lagos State University College of Medicine and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Adetinuwe Adesunlola
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Majekodunmi
keywords: Brain abscess; epidural abscess; intracranial suppuration; subdural empyema