| A
cerebral abscess is a pocket of infection within the brain.
There are roughly 2000 cases per year in the United States,
Risk factors include lung infection, bacterial endocarditis (bacterial
vegetations growing on the heart valves), open injuries to the brain,
and AIDS. There may be mass effect caused on the brain by the
abscess, and if the abscess breaks into the ventricles (spinal fluid
filled spaces deep within the brain), then the prognosis is worse. |
