Neurosurgery Department, General University Hospital Alicante, Spain.
A brain abscess is a localized collection of pus or infected material within the brain tissue.
see also Intracranial abscess.
A brain abscess is a focal area of necrosis starting in an area of cerebritis surrounded by a membrane.
Brain abscesses are suppurative infections of the brain parenchyma surrounded by a vascularized capsule.
Cerebral abscesses result from pathogens growing within the brain parenchyma. Initial parenchymal infection is known as cerebritis, which may progress into a cerebral abscess.
Cerebral infection is commonly divided into four stages with distinct imaging and histopathologic features:
early cerebritis (a focal infection without a capsule or pus formation,can resolve or develop into frank abscess) late cerebritis
early abscess/encapsulation - may occur 10 days after infection
late abscess/encapsulation - may occur >14 days after infection.
see Brain abscess books.