Cerebral abscess in children.

During the period 1935 to 1976 200 patients with cerebral abscess were referred to the University Clinic of Neurosurgery, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. Among them 48 were children (less than 15 years), i.e. 24%. Fourteen of the children had multiple abscesses. Ear-, nose- or throat infections were the source of infection in 42% of the cases. Seven of the children had congenital heart disease. The clinical manifestations are described. The risk of lumbar puncture in these patients is emphasized by the fact, that three of them incarcerated during the procedure. Changing neuroradiological methods, affording limited differential diagnostic accuracy, have now been replaced by computed tomography. The most common surgical methods were primary excision or aspiration. The overall mortality rate was 33%.