Brain abscess: When to operate?

Brain abscess is a rare but extremely dangerous disease. The disease can be fatal or leave severe sequelae if not diagnosed and treated promptly.

The brain is part of the central nervous system. For the body, the brain acts as a central source, receiving and storing data from the outside and providing feedback. The brain is protected from infection by the immune system, the cranium, and surrounding tissues.
However, infection can still occur, which is caused by the attack of some bacteria and other organisms, which have overcome this protective barrier. Brain abscess is the brain's response to the invasion of these bacteria and organisms, through the creation of small empty spaces containing pus. Brain abscess has a subacute course, sometimes it has a brain tumor-like progression.

When there is a brain abscess, the patient will see the appearance of some of the following symptoms:
Fever, headache: This is the most common manifestation Some problems related to the nervous system, such as loss of confusion, difficulty communicating, walking... Nausea, vomiting Convulsions Loss of muscle function leading to reduced mobility Chills Stiff neck, which is aggravated by fever and Chills Personality and behavior changes Vision changes Sensitivity to light Decreased reflexes Becomes less vocal In children, some additional symptoms may appear such as crying, stiff limbs

Brain abscess is a rare but very dangerous disease. The disease can be fatal if not treated promptly.

According to researchers, brain abscess is caused by the following main causes:
Trauma Infection from nearby organs: Infection from nearby organs such as otitis media , Sinusitis, mastoiditis Bacteria in the bloodstream: This condition can occur in a number of diseases such as bronchiectasis, lung abscess, purulent pleura, pyelonephritis ....In patients with Blood-borne bacterial brain abscess usually has an abscess deep in the brain organization, in different locations there may be one or more abscesses. In some cases of brain abscess, the primary source of infection cannot be identified.
Besides, for people with weak immune systems such as patients with HIV/AIDS, the cause of brain abscess can be a fungus.
Brain abscess can also be caused by complications after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
Bacteria that cause brain abscess are usually aerobic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, enteric bacilli, anaerobes, non-hemolytic streptococci, or fungi.

Thorough treatment of the cause of the disease is the best way to prevent brain abscess.
Poor oral hygiene or sinusitis can cause brain abscess. Prevention of brain abscess by proper oral hygiene, prevention of dental diseases early and thoroughly. It is necessary to completely treat sinusitis, if the disease does not improve, it is necessary to immediately go to medical facilities for treatment. For people with weakened immune systems, such as HIV/AIDS patients, there is a high risk of brain abscess if not treated promptly. To reduce the possibility of brain abscess, patients need to regularly take antiviral drugs as prescribed by their doctor. In addition, people infected with HIV should practice safe sex measures to avoid infection.

The treatment of brain abscess depends on the location, size and number of abscesses, in addition to the patient's health status.
Currently, treatment methods for brain abscess include medication and brain abscess surgery.
Use drugs to treat brain abscess in case the patient has a small abscess and is deep inside, the condition of purulent meningitis is widespread due to the rupture of the brain abscess, the patient's health is too weak. The doctor will prescribe the patient to take strong antibiotics, and use them together with many other antibiotics such as anti-brain edema drugs, anti-epileptic drugs in case of seizures. The medical treatment should be combined with a reasonable diet to increase the patient's condition.

Brain abscess surgery: Surgical treatment of brain abscess includes
Absspiration aspiration: Applied when the abscess is deep inside the brain organization, there are many compartments, the patient's condition has worsened. . Treatment with this method is often incomplete and easy to recur. Abscess drainage: Applied when the abscess is epidural, subdural with large size Total removal of the abscess: Applied In the case of an abscess with a solid capsule located deep inside the brain, the gaseous wound causes the brain abscess, and there may be bone fragments or other foreign bodies in the abscess. This is a radical treatment for brain abscesses, but it causes a lot of damage to healthy brain tissue and is at risk of perforating the abscess. The doctor will prescribe brain abscess surgery in the following cases:
Increasing intracranial pressure Abscess that no longer responds to medication Abscess is too large (over 3cm) There is air in the abscess The abscess is at risk of rupture

Brain abscess is an extremely dangerous disease. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, the disease will threaten the life of the patient because the abscess ruptures, causing encephalitis and meningitis, causing the patient to die quickly or causing the temporal lobe incarceration to make the patient confused. Consciousness disturbance, stiff neck, spastic brain loss leading to the risk of death. Therefore, when you see any signs of the disease, you need to immediately go to a medical facility for timely examination, diagnosis and treatment.
Vinmec International General Hospital with a system of facilities, fully equipped with modern machinery and medical equipment, the most advanced imaging equipment to support diagnosis and treatment such as: CT SCAN Toshiba 640 slices, cerebral angiogram, G.E 3.0 MRI (MRI) scanner, MRA and CTA...for clear image quality, easy diagnosis and treatment of brain and spine diseases of patients both medical and surgical pathology... with a team of experts and doctors with many years of experience in the examination and treatment of neurological diseases, patients can rest assured that they will be examined and treated for neurological diseases. in general and brain abscess in particular at Vinmec.

To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide, or register online HERE.
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