[Importance of the bacteriologic study in brain abscess. Comparison of the evolution of bacteriologic and therapeutic results in a series of 102 cases]

Abstract

Progresses in bacteriological study have been analyzed on 102 cases of intracranial infections between 1968 and 1980: sterile cultures decrease from 56% to 11,5%, rate of isolation of anaerobic and association of aero-anaerobic bacteria increase respectively from 10 to 40% and from 2 to 17,1%. Clinical results progress in close relation; the mortality rate decrease from 11,5% to 8,3% as well as morbidity rate from 33% to 19,4%. Moreover clinical results are worse when the bacteriological study fails to isolate any germ: mortality 15,7% and sequellae 53,5%. The best results are observed in the group of anaerobic infections: mortality 4% and sequellae 26,6%. Lastly, the interest of the systematic research of particular bacteria such as capnophilic or microaerophilic bacteria or mycobacterium tuberculosis (2 cases) is underlined. This work emphasizes the importance of the bacteriological study for the management of intracranial infections and the improvement of the clinical results.