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Case Reports
. 2024 May 22;16(5):e60847.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.60847. eCollection 2024 May.

An Atypical Presentation of Cerebellar Abscess: A Case Report

Priyanka Hampe  1 , Dinesh V Hinge  1 , Keta Vagha  1 , Sham Lohiya  1 , Jayant D Vagha  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

An Atypical Presentation of Cerebellar Abscess: A Case Report

Priyanka Hampe et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

An infratentorial abscess is a medical emergency. Common sources of abscesses are otogenic foci, sinusitis, or dental abscess, rarely congenital defects like dermoid cysts with sinus along with cerebrospinal axis can lead to infratentorial abscess. This case report describes a four-year-old girl with pus discharging from the occipital area. Radiological imaging revealed a cerebellar abscess with the sinus tract open exteriorly through an occipital cortical defect with obstructive hydrocephalus. The patient underwent neurosurgical intervention followed by antibiotic therapy. Histopathology of the tissue sample was suggestive of a dermoid cyst. Congenital defects should not be ignored. All newborns should have a thorough physical examination to identify birth defects. As these defects can cause life-threatening complications, early recognition with early surgical intervention is the treatment of choice.

Keywords: congenital defect; dermoid cyst; hydrocephalus; infratentorial abscess; neurosurgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Clinical picture showing open purulent ulcer with pus discharging over the occipital area.
Figure 2
Figure 2. CECT showing well-defined peripherally enhancing cystic lesion.
CECT: contrast-enhancing computed tomography
Figure 3
Figure 3. MRI brain contrast T1 weighted image showing hypo intense lesion in the right cerebellar hemisphere.
Figure 4
Figure 4. MRI brain contrast T2 weighted image showing hyperintense lesion in the right cerebellar hemisphere.
Figure 5
Figure 5. MRI brain showing (A) selective restriction on diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and (B) corresponding low signal on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC).
Figure 6
Figure 6. MR spectroscopy showed an increased lipid lactate peak.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Histopathological examination was suggestive of a dermoid cyst.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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