Brain abscess associated with patent foramen ovale

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations in patients with previous brain abscess: a cross-sectional population-based study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) may cause recurrent brain abscess. The primary aim was to determine the prevalence of PAVM amongst survivors of brain abscess. The proportion with cardiac right-to-left shunts was also assessed post hoc.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional population-based study of adult (≥18 years) survivors of cryptogenic bacterial brain abscess in Denmark from 2007 through 2016. Patients were invited for bubble-echocardiography to detect vascular right-to-left shunting and, if abnormal, subsequent computed tomography thorax for diagnosis of PAVM. Data are presented as n/N (%) or median with interquartile range (IQR).

RESULTS

Study participation was accepted by 47/157 (30%) eligible patients amongst whom two did not appear for scheduled bubble-echocardiography. The median age of participants was 54 years (IQR 45-62) and 19/57 (33%) were females compared with 59 years (IQR 48-68, p = 0.05) and 41/85 females (48%, p = 0.22) in non-participants. Bubble-echocardiography was suggestive of shunt in 10/45 (22%) participants and PAVM was subsequently confirmed by computed tomography in one patient with grade 1 shunting. The corresponding prevalence of PAVM was 2% (95% confidence interval 0.06-11.8) amongst all examined participants. Another 9/45 (20%) were diagnosed with patent in persistent foramen ovale (n = 8) or atrial septum defect (n = 1), which is comparable with the overall prevalence of 25% amongst adults in the Danish background population.

CONCLUSIONS

Undiagnosed PAVM amongst adult survivors of cryptogenic bacterial brain abscess is rare but may be considered in select patients. The prevalence of cardiac right-to-left shunts amongst brain abscess patients corresponds to the prevalence in the general population.

Septic Emboli to the Brain Secondary to a Patent Foramen Ovale: A Rare Complication of Internal Jugular Vein Catheter

The prolonged use of hemodialysis catheters is associated with several complications with infection being the most common. The increased susceptibility to infections in patients on hemodialysis can be attributed to decreased immunity, though age, other comorbidities, and properties of the catheter act as modifiers. Hematogenous spread of the infection can lead to sepsis and seeding into other organs. In this article, we report an unusual case of septic emboli to the brain in a 30-year-old male on prolonged use of a right internal jugular vein (IJV) catheter for hemodialysis. An interesting finding in the case was the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a persisting embryonic structure that allows right-to-left shunting. It is suspected that this PFO led to the passage of septic emboli from the right IJV site to the brain. Before our case, septic emboli to the brain have been reported to occur from valvular vegetation in case of infective endocarditis. The mainstay of managing patients with septic emboli is the use of antibiotics; additional interventions may be needed on a case-to-case basis.

Streptococcus constellatus Brain Abscess in a Middle-Aged Man With an Undiagnosed Patent Foramen Ovale

Brain abscess is a rare diagnosis. Common sources of infection include direct spread from otic sources, sinuses, or oral cavities, and hematogenous spread from distant sources, including the heart and lungs. Brain abscess with cultures growing oral flora species, in rare cases, may develop from bacteria in the oral cavity entering the bloodstream and then traveling to the brain via a patent foramen ovale. This report highlights a case of brain abscess caused by Streptococcus constellatus in a middle-aged man with an undiagnosed patent foramen ovale.

Intramedullary spinal cord abscess associated with right-to-left shunt via right superior vena cava draining into left atrium: A case report

RATIONALE

Intramedullary spinal cord abscess (ISCA) is a rare but treatable bacterial infection of the central nervous system, and the etiology in no less than 40% of the cases is cryptogenic. Although a few cases of ISCA in individuals with a right-to-left shunt (RL shunt) have been reported, only few arguments focused on the association between RL shunt and ISCA have been provoked. The right superior vena cava (RSVC) draining into the left atrium (LA) is an uncommon systemic venous anomaly that results in an RL shunt, and this anomaly causes several types of neurological complication such as stroke or brain abscess. We report the first case of ISCA associated with RSVC-LA RL shunt.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 36-year-old man developed progressive paraparesis, dysuria, and spontaneous pain in the lumbar region and lower extremities. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intramedullary lesion extended from Th12 to L2 with ring-shaped gadolinium enhancement. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study exhibited a marked pleocytosis, and CSF culture grew Streptococcus intermedius. Cardiovascular computed tomography angiography identified RSVC-LA RL shunt, which caused transient acute cardiac syndrome due to air embolus.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed with ISCA associated with an RSVC-LA RL shunt.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient was treated with a combination of intravenous administration of meropenem and vancomycin in a daily dose of 6 and 2.5 g, respectively, followed by intravenous administration of ampicillin in a daily dose of 750 mg. The intravenous antibiotic therapy was continued for 37 days.

OUTCOMES

A favorable neurological outcome was obtained by the intravenous antibiotic therapy, and recurrence of infection was prevented by continuous oral antibiotic therapy for 18 months.

LESSONS

With a literature review of ISCA associated with RL shunt, we insist that screening for RSVC-LA is beneficial to patients who are diagnosed with cryptogenic ISCA as its identification leads to appropriate preventive therapy.

Prevotella brain abscess in a healthy patient with a patent foramen ovale: Case report

Background:

Brain abscesses are relatively rare life-threatening infectious lesions often concomitant with a direct spillover of inflammation in the head or neck, hematogenous infections, and immunocompromised conditions. They rarely occur in adults without such predisposing factors. Prevotella is a well-known dental pathogen that very rarely causes brain abscesses.

Case Description:

We report such an abscess in a 51-year-old man who was innately healthy and had no oral lesions. A comprehensive computed tomography examination of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, was inconclusive but a transesophageal echocardiogram bubble study revealed a mild patent foramen ovale (PFO) that matched Grade 1 criteria. We deduced that the right-left shunt due to the PFO could have contributed to the brain infection and treated the patient successfully via surgical abscess aspiration and antibiotics.

Conclusion:

In case of a brain abscess occurring in healthy adults, it is essential to investigate the source of infection and the existence of an arterio-venous shunt, such as PFO.

Precision diagnosis and therapy of a case of brain abscesses associated with asymptomatic pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas

BACKGROUND

Brain abscesses, a severe infectious disease of the CNS, are usually caused by a variety of different pathogens, which include Streptococcus intermedius (S. intermedius). Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVFs), characterized by abnormal direct communication between pulmonary artery and vein, are a rare underlying cause of brain abscesses.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient was a previous healthy 55-year-old man who presented with 5 days of headache and fever. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested a brain abscess. Thoracic CT scan and angiography demonstrated PAVFs. Aiding by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample which identified S. intermedius as the causative pathogen, the patient was switched to the single therapy of large dose of penicillin G and was cured precisely and economically.

CONCLUSIONS

It is an alternative way to perform mNGS to identify causative pathogens in patients with brain abscesses especially when the results of traditional bacterial culture were negative. Further thoracic CT or pulmonary angiography should also be undertaken to rule out PAVFs as the potential cause of brain abscess if the patient without any known premorbid history.

Multiple brain abscesses after professional tooth cleaning: Case report and literature review

Brain abscess (BA) is an encapsulated infection and can be the consequence of head and cranio-maxillo-facial surgery or trauma, or may be secondary to cavernous thrombophlebitis, but is most frequently due to hematogenous septic dissemination from an adjacent site of infection, such as the paranasal sinuses, middle ear or oral cavity. We report a rare and unfortunate case of multiple BA caused by dental procedures in a young man with undiagnosed patent foramen ovale (PFO). Simple routine dental procedures, such as tooth brushing and professional oral hygiene, can predispose to life-threatening conditions. This case report and literature review highlights that multiple BA after professional tooth cleaning is extremely rare, but cardiac defects (in first place PFO which is a potential source of paradoxical embolism) promote BA formation.

Prevotella brain abscess in a healthy young patient with a patent foramen ovale

Brain abscesses are frequently caused by poly-microbial conditions. Comparatively, brain abscesses caused by Prevotella species are very rare. Right-to-left cardiac shunting due to a patent foramen ovale may predispose patients to infection. We report an isolated Prevotella brain abscess that occurred in a healthy, young, male patient with a patent foramen ovale. The patient did not have a clinically obvious odontogenic source of infection, and no other distant extracranial infectious sources were observed. The patient was successfully treated with stereotactic aspiration and antibiotics.