Treatment of intracranial abscesses associated with sinusitis in children and adolescents

Abstract

We retrospectively reviewed the management of intracranial abscesses associated with sinusitis in 13 children and adolescents by reviewing medical records and computed tomography (CT) scans of a consecutive case series. The mean duration of follow-up was 4.5 years with a range of 1.3 to 8.6 years, and the setting was a major metropolitan children's hospital providing primary as well as tertiary care. All patients received antibiotics (most commonly chloramphenicol, 75 to 100 mg/kg/day, in combination with oxacillin, 150 to 200 mg/kg/day) to which the sinus and intracranial organisms are susceptible. Surgical drainage of loculated infection was done for patients with acute neurologic symptoms or signs and for those patients whose abscesses enlarged during medical therapy. Three patients underwent immediate drainage of intracranial abscesses because of acute neurologic signs and symptoms. Sequential CT scans demonstrated enlargement of the intracranial abscesses in the remaining 10 patients. This apparent failure of medical management could not be explained by duration of symptoms before therapy, size of lesion, choice of antibiotics, or use of steroids. No child was successfully treated with antibiotics alone. Successful management consisted of antibiotic therapy combined with surgical drainage of loculated infection. This approach to therapy is preferred for all children with intracranial abscess associated with sinusitis.