J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2014 Jun;40(3):147-151.

Brain abscess due to odontogenic infection: a case report

• Park SY
• Suh DW
• Park CM
• Oh MS
• Lee DK

Abstract

In this report, we describe a case of brain abscess due to odontogenic infection. A 53-year-old female who had been suffering from headache and trismus for two weeks visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Sun Dental Hospital (Daejeon, Korea). Even after several routine tests, we still could not make a diagnosis. However, after the combined multidisciplinary efforts of oral surgeons and neurosurgeons, the patient was treated for odontogenic infection and made an uneventful recovery. Therefore, patients with infections in the head and neck region showing symptoms such as headache, changes in mental state, nausea, vomiting, seizures, hemiplegia, speech disturbance, and visual disturbance, a brain abscess should be included in the list of differential diagnoses.

Keyword

Brain abscess; Odontogenic; Infection

MeSH Terms

Brain Abscess*
Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Head
Headache
Hemiplegia
Humans
Middle Aged
Nausea
Neck
Seizures
Solar System
Surgery, Oral
Trismus
Vomiting

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Photo shows preoperative facial characteristics on third day of hospitalization.

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  Fig. 2 Panorex showed severe alveolar resorption of #17 (circle).

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  Fig. 3 Computed tomography showed a perforation of the right sphenoid bone (arrows).

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  Fig. 4 Magnetic resonance imaging T2 scan showed a 1.3×1.8 cm capsulated regular mass (arrows).

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  Fig. 5 Procedures of craniotomy and aspiration: approximately 8 mL of pus was removed.

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  Fig. 6 The extracted tooth had severe root resorption (circle).

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  Fig. 7 The patient did not show any signs of neurological sequela.

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  Fig. 8 Comparing preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with seven-month postoperative MRI is shown (arrows).

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