Pneumocephalus consequent to staphylococcal pneumonia and meningitis

Abstract

Pneumocephalus is a rare condition, characterized by the presence of gas in the cranial cavity, resulting from trauma, tumors and surgical or diagnostic procedures. Intracranial infection, without any predisposing factor like trauma or surgical intervention as a cause of pneumocephalus is relatively uncommon. While, intracranial infections by gas producing organisms as a cause of pneumocephalus are well known, a spontaneous intracranial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus causing pneumocephalus is little known. We report here a child who developed pneumocephalus following staphylococcal lung infection with meningitis and eventually showed complete recovery. Meningitis should be considered as a possible cause of pneumocephalus in absence of trauma and surgical intervention.

Keywords: Meningitis; Staphylococcus aureus; pneumocephalus.

Figure 1

Brain computed tomography scan showing multiple hypodense areas of air densities in parenchyma

Figure 2

Brain computed tomography scan of temporal region showing hypodense areas suggestive of pneumocephalus