Pediatric intracerebral abscess: Review of 43 surgically treated cases [Pediatrik beyin absesi:Cerrahi olarak tedavi edilen 43 olgunun gözden geçirilmesi]

Objective: brain abscess is relatively uncommon and remains a serious,life-threatening condition especially in children. despite improvements in its prognosis due to recent advances in early diagnosis and treatment,associated morbidity and mortality have remained significant in pediatric patients. the objective of this paper is to review of 43 children with the diagnosis of brain abscess and identify prognostic factors. methods: a retrospective study was conducted on a series of 43 pediatric patients who were surgically treated at our clinic. medical records of the patients were analyzed for demographics,clinical signs and symptoms,predisposing factors,radiological studies,therapy and clinical outcomes. statistical analysis was performed to evaluate association between outcomes and the prognostic factors. results: the male to female ratio was 2.9:1. the duration of symptoms before diagnosis ranged from 1 day to 30 days. the most common presenting symptom was fever (72%). contiguous infection was the most common predisposing factor. the most common location of abscesses was parietal lobe. staphylococcus aereus was the most common microorganism. all patients were surgically treated. the mortality rate was 6.9%. conclusions: intracerebral abscess in children continue to be associated with high rates of neurological impairment and death. brain abscess should be considered in children with new onset of neurological signs and symptoms in addition to the fever for earlier detection. improvement in delivery of primary health care services,early diagnosis and the correct use antimicrobials will decrease the morbidity and mortality rates.