[Clinical picture of single and multiple rhinogenic brain abscesses].

The authors examined 11 patients with rhinogenous abscesses of the brain aged from 2 to 45, 5 of them with multiple abscesses. According to their data the infection penetrated into the cranial cavity by two principal ways, namely, contactual (in 2 patients) and hematogenous via venous passages (in 4 patients). Contactual cerebral abscesses of rhinogenous genesis more frequently appear during frontitis, have a lingering chronic course and localize at the pole of the frontal lobe. Clinically they manifest themselves by focal and total cerebral symptoms including craniographic changes of hypertensive character. In patients with rhinogenous abscesses of phlebitic genesis a subacute course of the disease was noted. In addition to focal and total cerebral symptoms of general intoxication charater the authors noted in such cases symptoms of depression of the superior truncal structures of the brain. Cerebral abcesses of contactual and phlebitic genesis have mostly a benign course after surgical treatment (out of 6 patients there was only 1 lethal case). Hematogenous spreading of the infection along the arteries is often noted to cause multiple cerebral abscesses (in one or in both lobes) and is frequently accompanied by suppurative meningitis, periventriculitis. All cases of mutiple rhinogenous abscesses had a lethal end.