brain abscess guidelines

BACKGROUND: Intraparenchymal brain abscess is a collection of microbes caused by inoculation through direct extension or hematogenous spread. Although rare, intraparenchymal abscesses are potentially fatal and can be detected when patients are symptomatic due to local mass effect on adjacent neural tissue. Brain abscess treatment includes medical management with appropriate antibiotics alone or medical management in combination with surgical debridement. Treatment strategies depend on the size and location of disease, as well as the virulence of the microorganism...

OBJECTIVE: Odontogenic sinusitis (ODS) can cause infectious orbital, intracranial, and osseous complications. Diagnosis and management of complicated ODS have not been discussed in recent sinusitis guidelines. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe epidemiological and clinical features, as well as management strategies of complicated ODS. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic review was performed to describe various features of complicated ODS...

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an entity characterized by endocardial infection and frequent multiorgan complications, resulting in high mortality. It requires a rapid and accurate diagnosis, and a medical or surgical aggressive treatment. Currently, IE diagnosis rests on bacterial, clinical and ultrasonographic criteria. The objective of this article is to update the imaging study in patients with IE, with special emphasis on those non-echocardiographic examinations available in our environment. Last years, advanced imaging had achieved a growing role in IE diagnosis, especially cardiac multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), which have been recommended in recent clinical guidelines to be included as part of diagnostic criteria...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) infections is crucial given high morbidity and mortality. Neuroimaging in CNS infections is widely used to aid in the diagnosis, treatment and to assess the response to antibiotic and neurosurgical interventions. RECENT FINDINGS: The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines have clear recommendations for obtaining a computerized tomography of the head (CTH) prior to lumbar puncture (LP) in suspected meningitis...

INTRODUCTION: Frontal sinus fracture management continues to be a point of controversy. Many systematic reviews have been done, but meta-analyses comparing various approaches to frontal sinus fractures are scarce. Our study focuses on open surgical repair versus endoscopic repair of frontal sinus fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A MEDLINE search was performed to identify prospective RCTs, non-RCTs, guidelines, case-control, and observational studies published in English before April 2019...

INTRODUCTION: Infective endocarditis is more prevalent among children with congenital heart diseases as compared to healthy children. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a causative pathogen of infective endocarditis, and it rarely causes pancarditis in healthy children. The clinical decision for surgical intervention of left-sided heart vegetation is challenging despite the availability of management guidelines. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a previously healthy 12-year-old girl who presented with aggressive endocarditis secondary to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, with left-sided vegetation, mitral valve regurgitation, pancarditis, brain abscess, and stroke...

HIV/AIDS has been recognized as a global health issue with significant burden on healthcare services worldwide. Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges include wide range of difficult to identify and treat infections. Gordonia sputi is known to cause multi-system infections in setting of HIV/AIDS. It is often difficult to isolate this organism requiring high suspicion index and special testing techniques. While there is no guidelines-recommended antibacterials regimen for Gordonia sputi infection, extended combined broad spectrum antibacterials have been successfully used...

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a global health problem - it is the most common malignancy among women. Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) account for 10-20% of female breast cancer. Most TNBC cases confer poor prognosis. Brain metastasis appears in more than 15% in the triple negative breast cancer population, which causes serious decrease in survival. Changes of immunophenotype are not uncommon in breast cancer, offering new therapeutic options in cases where targetable proteins or pathways are being identified...

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are abnormal direct vascular communications between pulmonary arteries and veins which create high-flow right-to-left shunts. They are most frequently congenital, usually in the setting of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). PAVMs may be asymptomatic or present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations such as dyspnea, hypoxemia, or chest pain. Even when asymptomatic, presence of PAVMs increases patients' risk of serious, potentially preventable complications including stroke or brain abscess...

BACKGROUND: Brain abscess is an uncommon condition, but carries high mortality. Current treatment guidelines are based on limited data. Surveillance of clinical, radiological and microbiology data is important to inform patient stratification, interventions, and antimicrobial stewardship. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective, observational study of patients with brain abscess, based on hospital coding, in a UK tertiary referral teaching hospital. We reviewed imaging data, laboratory microbiology, and antibiotic prescriptions...

BACKGROUND: This article gives an overview of severe and fulminant infections of the head and neck region. The focus is on the treatment, diagnostics and causes of abscesses, phlegmon and necrotizing fasciitis. OBJECTIVE: Despite guideline-conform treatment soft tissue infections of the head and neck can spread rapidly and be life-threatening. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis and discussion of basic research and expert recommendations, case reports...

Granulicatella adiacens is a type of NVS (nutritionally variant streptococci) rarely causing infective endocarditis (IE). NVS are fastidious and unable to sustain growth on routine culture media due to lack of specific nutrients. Endocarditis caused by NVS due to their virulence is associated with higher treatment failures and mortality rates. New antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are indicative of a significant rise in penicillin resistance and susceptibility differences between NVS subspecies. Initial empirical therapy is essential as a delay in using the appropriate agent leads to poor results...

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) increase lesion detection and improve disease characterization for many cerebral pathologies investigated with MRI. These agents, introduced in the late 1980s, are in wide use today. However, some non-ionic linear GBCAs have been associated with the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with kidney failure. Gadolinium deposition has also been found in deep brain structures, although it is of unclear clinical relevance. Hence, new guidelines from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine advocate cautious use of GBCA in clinical and research practice...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the paper is to examine the current state of the art about epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this infection. METHODS: A review of the literature was performed through a PubMed search of original articles, case reports, and reviews using the key words "brain abscess," "cerebral abscess," "brain infection," "intracranial suppuration," "otogenic brain abscess," "otitis complications," and "sinusitis complications." RESULTS: Pediatric brain abscess is a rare but serious infection, often involving patients with specific risk factors and burdened by a high risk of morbidity and mortality...

Introduction: Para-aortic root abscess is a destructive vascular condition that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. We describe a rare case of para-aortic root abscess due to Salmonella Typhimurium that was successfully managed medically. Presentation of case: A 72-year-old diabetic man with a prosthetic aortic graft presented with fever and expressive aphasia with left sided weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed multiple embolic cerebral vascular accidents...

BACKGROUND: Acute rhinosinusitis is an acute infection of the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses that lasts less than four weeks. Diagnosis of acute rhinosinusitis is generally based on clinical signs and symptoms in ambulatory care settings. Technical investigations are not routinely performed, nor are they recommended in most countries. Some trials show a trend in favour of antibiotics, but the balance of benefit versus harm is unclear.We merged two Cochrane Reviews for this update, which comprised different approaches with overlapping populations, resulting in different conclusions...

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone has been used to treat cerebral edema associated with brain abscess. Whereas some argue that dexamethasone might aid antibiotic treatment, others believe that because of its immunosuppressive characteristics, it might have a negative impact on outcomes. How corticosteroid use affects overall mortality of brain abscess patients remains unclear. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines...

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the frequency and patterns of use of cerebral imaging in delirium and to describe pathological changes associated with delirium using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: This retrospective observational study included patients with delirium admitted to a tertiary hospital (The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia) between January 2015 and August 2016. Data on cerebral imaging was collected and positive imaging findings were defined as: Acute or subacute infarct, haemorrhage, abscess, neoplasm, vasculitis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, encephalitis, acute demyelination, or fat embolism...

Brain abscess is uncommon in paediatric population, but of clinical importance because of significant long-term morbidity and mortality. In this multicentre study, promoted by the Italian Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, we retrospectively collected patients aged 0-18 years, with a diagnosis of 'brain abscess'. Seventy-nine children were included; the median age was 8·75 years. As predisposing factor, 44 children had preceding infections. The Gram-positive cocci were mostly isolated (27 cases). Sixty (76%) children underwent a surgical intervention...

AIM/BACKGROUND: Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major active principle of Nigella sativa seed (black seed) and is known to control many fungi, bacteria, and some viruses. However, the activity of TQ against anaerobic bacteria is not well demonstrated. Anaerobic bacteria can cause severe infections, including diarrhea, aspiration pneumonia, and brain abscess, particularly in immunodeficient individuals. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of TQ against some anaerobic pathogens in comparison to metronidazole...