PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ming-Jung Chuang
AU  - Wen-Neng Chang
AU  - Hsueh-Wen Chang
AU  - Wei-Che Lin
AU  - Nai-Wen Tsai
AU  - Mei-Jen Hsieh
AU  - Hung-Chen Wang
AU  - Cheng-Hsien Lu
TI  - Predictors and long-term outcome of seizures after bacterial brain abscess
AID  - 10.1136/jnnp.2009.195073
DP  - 2010 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
PG  - 913--917
VI  - 81
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/81/8/913.short
4100  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/81/8/913.full
SO  - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry2010 Aug 01; 81
AB  - Background Seizures are one of the most important neurological complications of bacterial brain abscesses. A better understanding of the risk factors of seizures following bacterial brain abscesses is needed to predict those who will require treatment.Methods A total of 205 patients were enrolled in this 22-year retrospective study. Prognostic variables were analysed based on Cox's proportional hazards model after a minimum of 18 months of follow-up.Results Seizures occurred in 48 patients who had bacterial brain abscesses, including acute symptomatic seizures in 17% (35/205) and unprovoked seizures in 6.4% (13/205). Altogether, 27 patients had early seizures and 21 had late seizures. The overall mortality rate in the seizure patients was 23% (11/48) and seven patients progressed to epilepsy.Conclusion Cox's proportional hazards model demonstrated that valvular heart diseases as the underlying diseases and the presence of a fronto-parietal distribution of bacterial brain abscess were independently predictive of seizures, and the presence of late seizures was predictive of developing epilepsy. Most first seizures occurred within 3 y after bacterial brain abscesses.