Surgical Aspects of Brain Abscess – A Case Report

Aim: To report a case of solitary, parietal lobe abscess in a boy, aged 16 years in Tetralogy of Fallot. Introduction: Infective endocarditis is a serious and fatal complication in congenital heart disease. Following bacterial endocarditis, ventricular septal defect (VSD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have less morbidity and higher survival rate in children. Neurological complications were recognized in 20 % of cases and brain abscess is a serious infection of brain parenchyma as a result of seeding of infective pathogens in the shunted blood from the right side of the heart. Case report: A 16-year-old boy had Tetralogy of Fallot, presented with altered sensorium of sudden onset. Echocardiography revealed a large vegetation, attached to the ventricular septum and a large VSD with overriding of aorta. CT brain revealed a large abscess cavity in the parietal lobe, which was evacuated by aspiration and treated with antibiotics. Conclusion: Any patient presented with altered sensorium in cyanotic congenital heart disease must be evaluated with CT scanning for brain abscess and also check hematocrit to rule out hyperviscosity syndrome. Lumbar puncture has been considered hazardous in patients with brain abscess and usually performed under a strong suspicion of meningitis or ventriculitis in the absence of increased intracranial pressure.