Nonsurgical treatment of a traumatic brain abscess in a child.

A large traumatic brain abscess in a 9-year-old white boy was successfully treated conservatively with antibiotics, including metronidazole and ampicillin. No neurological or psychological sequelae, except for unilateral loss of the olfactory sense, were revealed at follow-up 5 years later, and on CT two minor hypodense areas remained in the right frontal lobe. Our treatment protocol includes metronidazole (0.5 g 3 times a day) and ampicillin (1 g 6 times a day) for adults. This seems to be the treatment of choice in cases of intracranial brain abscesses.