Amebic abscess of the brain

Neurosurgery. 1980 Feb;6(2):192-4.

Abstract

Brain abscesses caused by Entamoeba histolytica were treated in two residents of New Jersey, neither of whom had traveled beyond the eastern United States. The diagnosis in Case 1 was confirmed by the presence of ameba in both brain and pituitary abscesses. An elevated indirect hemagglutination (IHA) titer of 1:4096 and response to specific treatment with metronidazole and chloroquin were the criteria for diagnosis in Case 2. The computerized tomographic appearance of an amebic abscess is that of a rapidly progressive lesion without reaction in the adjacent brain. Of the seven reported cures, all of the patients received appropriate chemotherapy. Five of the seven were operated upon.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abscess / diagnosis*
  • Abscess / pathology
  • Adult
  • Amebiasis / diagnosis*
  • Brain Abscess / diagnosis*
  • Entamoeba histolytica / isolation & purification
  • Entamoebiasis / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parietal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
  • Pituitary Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Pituitary Gland / parasitology
  • Pituitary Gland / pathology
  • Temporal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed