Hydrocephalus is a rare outcome in community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults: a retrospective analysis

BMC Infectious Diseases

Table 3 Outcome of patients with bacterial meningitis in North Denmark Region 1998–2010

	Unfavourable outcome (GOS^a1–4)
Meningitis complicated with hydrocephalus (n = 5)	5/5^b
Meningitis without hydrocephalus (n = 160)	65/160
Meningitis and cranial CT scan done (n = 120)	60/120^c
Meningitis and cranial CT scan not done (n = 45)	10^d/45

^a Glasgow outcome scale: 1. Death, 2. Vegetative state, 3. Dependent upon others in daily life, 4. Sequelae, but independent life, 5. No or only minor sequelae.
^b Two patients also had ischaemic cerebral infarctions (one before hydrocephalus, one after the diagnosis of hydrocephalus). Another patient with known lipomas in the right frontal lobe and the Sylvian fissure also had small haemorrhages at and during admission. One additional patient had been admitted 2.5 months earlier with cerebral infarction.
^c The following intracranial abnormalities were found by cerebral CT scans in patients with an unfavourable outcome (including the five patients with hydrocephalus): new cerebral ischaemic infarctions 16, haemorrhagic cerebral infarctions 7, sinus thrombosis 1, benign cerebral tumours 5 (1 lipoma, 4 meningioma), septic emboli 2, ventriculitis 1, hygroma 1, internal carotid artery aneurysm 1, ventricular empyema 1, chronic subdural haematoma 1, basal skull fracture 1, epidural absces (C2-C3) 1, cerebral abscess 1 (developed day 31). Some patients had more than one abnormal finding.
^d A total of eight patients died in the group never scanned. In seven patients circulatory instability precluded scanning and all died within the first two days of admission.

ISSN: 1471-2334