Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of cerebral putaminal hemorrhage complicating a brain abscess proved by craniotomy

Ryohei Umezawa, M.D.1), Kazuo Isozumi, M.D.1), Satoru Komatsumoto, M.D.1), Yasuo Fukuuchi, M.D.1) and Makoto Inaba, M.D.2)

1)Department of Neurology, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital
2)Department of Neurosurgery, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital

A 40-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of consciousness disturbance, dysarthria and numbness in his right hand. Computed tomography of the head showed a cerebral hemorrhage of the left putamen. The patient was judged to have an indication of operation, and frontal craniotomy to evacuate hematoma was performed. During the operation, massive whitish pus flowed out at the time of surgery. Therefore, hemorrhage into a brain abscess was diagnosed. We reported this unique and interesting case whose brain abscess could not be differentiated from an ordinary hypertensive putaminal hemorrhage based on clinical findings and CT image. This diagnosis was not made until the patient was operated on through a craniotomy.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 44: 372|374, 2004)
key words: brain abscess, hypertensive putaminal hemorrhage, craniotomy

(Received: 3-Sep-03)