Subdural empyema is a neurosurgical emergency the mortality of which continues to be as high as 40% in modern reported series. It is also a curable lesion, and the outcome of treatment has been demonstrated to be directly related to the promptness of diagnosis and appropriate surgical drainage. Recently, we have operated upon two cases of intracranial subdural empyema secondary to acute facial furuncle and postoperative craniectomy. Reviewing these two cases and other literatures, we are going to describe about cases, symptoms and signs, and methods of diagnosis and treatment of subdural empyema.
Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Emergencies ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Furunculosis ; Mortality

No abstract available.
Empyema, Subdural* ; Haemophilus influenzae* ; Haemophilus* ; Meningitis*

The subdural empyema is a rare disease characterized by a collection of pus in the subdural space. It usually occurs as a complication of otolaryngologic infections such as paranasal sinusitis, otitis media or mastoiditis. Although pus may localize anywhere in the subdural space, more than 90% of cases occur supratentorially. Infratentorial subdural empyema is rare, most of them otogenic, but subtentorially localized empyema is even rarer. It is considered as a neurosurgical emergency, but some authors have reported successful treatment of subdural empyema with conservative treatment. We have experienced a case of subtentorial subdural empyema resuting from chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma which was successfully treated with mastoidectomy, accompanied by the conservative treatment. In this paper, we report this case with a review of literature.
Cholesteatoma* ; Emergencies ; Empyema ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Mastoid ; Mastoiditis ; Otitis Media* ; Otitis* ; Rare Diseases ; Sinusitis ; Subdural Space ; Suppuration

Systemic infections of campylobacter fetus are rare in human beings. Only 22 cases(including our case) of C. fetus infection have been reported in Korea. We are presenting a case of subdural empyema caused by C. fetus. The patient was a 71 year old man of chronic alcoholism.
Aged ; Alcoholism ; Campylobacter fetus* ; Campylobacter* ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Fetus ; Humans ; Korea

Nontyphoidal Salmonella infection often results in acute gastroenteritis, but extraintestinal infection presenting as a subdural empyema is unusual. We report a case of a 67-year-old man diagnosed with a subdural empyema caused by Salmonella group B that developed after evacuation of a subdural hematoma. To our knowledge, this is the first such case report in Korea.
Aged ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Gastroenteritis ; Hematoma, Subdural* ; Humans ; Korea ; Salmonella Infections ; Salmonella*

Subdural empyema is a uncommon fulminating disease which rapidly terminates in death if untreated. When a patient with acute sinus or otitic infection complain headache, vomiting, impairment of consciousness, seizures of focal neurological signs, the possibility of intracranial infection should be considered. We recently experienced a case of subdural empyema in a 22 yrs old male who had not any previous history of infection. This patient with signs of IICP and seizures was diagnosed as space occupying lesion in the subdural space, right frontotemporal by carotid angiography but trephination revealed a subdural empyema which was drainaged through multiple burr holes. After 2 weeks of uneventful course, the computed tomography was done because of reappeared signs of IICP and three encapsualated subdural abscess were found. The patient was discharged from hospital in the excellent condition after total extirpation through craniotomy of above abscess.
Abscess ; Angiography ; Consciousness ; Craniotomy ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Headache ; Humans ; Male ; Seizures ; Subdural Space ; Trephining ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: The detection rate of traumatic subdural hygroma(TSH) has increased after the development of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The treatment method and the mechanism of development of the TSH have been investigated, but they are still uncertain. This study is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of subduroperitoneal shunt in traumatic subdural hygroma. METHODS: Five hundred thirty six patients were diagnosed as TSH from 1996 to 2002, among them, 55 patients were operated with subduroperitoneal shunt. We analyzed shunt effect on the basis of clinical indetails, including the patient's symptoms at the diagnosis, duration from diagnosis to operation, changes of GCS, hygroma types. We classified the TSH into five types (frontal, frontocoronal, coronal, parietal and cerebellar type) according to the location of the thickest portion of TSH. RESULTS: The patients who have symptoms or signs related to frontal lobe compression (irritability, confusion) or increased intracranial pressure (headache, mental change), had symptomatic recovery rate above 80%. However, the patients who have focal neurological sign (hemiparesis, seizure and rigidity), showed recovery rate below 30%. The improvement rate was very low in the case of the slowly progressing TSH for over 6weeks. We experienced complications such as enlarged ventricle, chronic subdural hematoma, subdural empyema and acute SDH. CONCLUSION: Subduroperitoneal shunt appears to be effective in traumatic subdural hygroma when the patients who have symptoms or signs related to frontal lobe compression or increased ICP and progressing within 5weeks.
Diagnosis ; Empyema, Subdural ; Frontal Lobe ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Rabeprazole ; Seizures ; Subdural Effusion*

This article presents the case of a bilateral chronic subdural hematoma which was contaminated with Klebsiella pneumoniae and resulted in a life-threatening central nervous system infection. After repeated of bilateral burr-hole drainage, the patient became hyperpyrexic and drowsy. Suppuration within the subdural space was suspected and then the patient underwent bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal craniotomies, and pus was evacuated. Its cultures revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae. Intravenous meropenem was given for 6 weeks. He recovered completely. Microorganisms like Klebsiella pneumoniae may directly infect the subdural space with iatrogenic contamination.
Central Nervous System Infections ; Craniotomy ; Drainage ; Empyema, Subdural ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Klebsiella ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Subdural Space ; Suppuration ; Thienamycins

Subdural empyema of the brain is an uncommon disorder that occurs more frequently in children than in adult. Authors report a very rare of subdural empyema following the subdural hygroma after mild head injury. The exact mechanism of infection is not known. However, we have to consider subdural infection as one of differential diagnosis in elderly patient with subdural hygroma when new abnormal density lesion is developed in the subdural space.
Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; Child ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Empyema, Subdural ; Escherichia ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Subdural Effusion ; Subdural Space

Subdural empyema is a fulminating, purulent, bacterial infection located between the dura and arachnoidal membrane. Early diagnosis, adequate antibiotic therapy and surgical treatment played important roles in the successful management of subdural empyema. Subdural empyema can develop secondary to sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, trauma or craniotomy. Subdural empyema in infants commonly develops secondary to infected subdural effusion associated with purulent meningitis. The incidence of this complication of meningitis in infants is approximately 2%. We report a case of subdural empyema concomitant with bilateral subdural effusion, which was successfully treated with surgical intervention and antibiotic therapy.
Arachnoid ; Bacterial Infections ; Craniotomy ; Early Diagnosis ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Membranes ; Meningitis* ; Otitis Media ; Sinusitis ; Subdural Effusion*