Brain abscess

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Amebic brain abscess

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Brain abscess

Alternative Names:

Abscess - brain; Cerebral abscess; CNS abscess

Symptoms:

Headache
Stiff neck, shoulders, or back
Aching of neck, shoulders, or back
Vomiting
Changes in mental status
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Inattention
- Irritability
- Slow thought processes
- Decreasing responsiveness
- Eventual coma
Seizures
Fever and chills
Localized loss of nerve functions (focal neurologic deficits)
- Vision changes
- Muscle function/feeling loss
- Decreased sensation
- Decreased movement
- Weakness
- Decreased speech (aphasia)
- Other language difficulties
- Loss of coordination

Note: Symptoms may develop gradually, over a period of 2 weeks, or they may develop suddenly. Once symptoms occur, they progressively worsen.

Signs and tests:

A neurologic examination will usually reveal increased intracranial pressure and problems with brain function causing confusion or other problems. The problems will relate to the area of the brain where the abscess is located. The physician will look for the possible source of the infection.

CBC may indicate infection or inflammation.
Blood cultures should be done but usually do not help identify the infecting organism.
Chest X-ray will reveal lung infections (one of the more common sources of infection).
EEG may be abnormal if seizures or focal neurologic deficits are present.
Cranial CT scan or MRI of head shows the abscess and its exact location.

Review Date: 11/16/2004
Reviewed By: Luc D. Jasmin, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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