Clinical characteristics, complications, and outcome of brain abscess treated by stereotactic aspiration: a retrospective analysis.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968551 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2334 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712334 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Infect Dis Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Brain Abscess*/microbiology ; Brain Abscess*/surgery ; Brain Abscess*/drug therapy ; Stereotaxic Techniques*; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Treatment Outcome ; Child ; Child, Preschool

Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the ethics committee of the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (No. 2023030736). All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. As per national legislation and institutional guidelines, it was not necessary to obtain written informed consent to participate from the participants of this study. And the ethics committee of the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University approved the waiver for the need of informed consent. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation, imaging features, and outcome of patients diagnosed with brain abscess and treated by stereotactic aspiration.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical data of all consecutive patients diagnosed with brain abscess who underwent stereotactic aspiration in our department from 2015 to 2022. The demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, radiological data, microbial aetiology, and outcome were collected and analyzed using t-test or χ ² tests.
Results: Overall, 120 patients were identified. The mean age was 49.7 years (range: 5-81); 59.2% were male. Seventy-nine patients (65.8%) had comorbidities, of which cardiovascular diseases was the most common. Most of the abscesses were solitary frontal or temporal lesions. A microbiological diagnosis was secured in 70 (58.3%) of cases, among which the majority were of the Streptococcus spp. Outcome was favorable in 107 (89.2%) of cases. The mortality rate during the initial hospital stay was 2.5%. A total of 10 individuals (8.3%) presented with preoperative delirium or coma, which was associated with an inferior clinical outcome compared to those who exhibited clear consciousness. (p = 0.01).
Conclusions: Stereotactic aspiration was a safe intervention with a low incidence of complications. The combination of stereotactic aspiration and antibiotic therapy was an effective treatment strategy for brain abscess. Patients who underwent stereotactic aspiration while in a state of disturbance of consciousness demonstrated a poorer outcome compared to those who were conscious.
Clinical Trial Number: Not applicable.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

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Keywords: Brain abscess; Outcome; Stereotactic

Date Created: 20250319 Date Completed: 20250319 Latest Revision: 20250322

20250324

PMC11917069

10.1186/s12879-025-10770-4

40102830