Efficacy of immediate replacement of cranial bone graft following drainage of intracranial empyema

OBJECTIVEIntracranial empyema is a life-threatening condition associated with a high mortality rate and residual deleterious neurological effects if not diagnosed and managed promptly. The authors present their institutional experience with immediate reimplantation of the craniotomy flap and clarify the success of this method in terms of cranial integrity, risk of recurrent infection, and need for secondary procedures.METHODSA retrospective analysis of patients admitted for management of intracranial empyema during a 19-year period (1997–2016) identified 33 patients who underwent emergency drainage and decompression with a follow-up duration longer than 6 months, 23 of whom received immediate bone replacement. Medical records were analyzed for demographic information, extent and location of the infection, bone flap size, fixation method, need for further operative intervention, and duration of intravenous antibiotics.RESULTSThe mean patient age at surgery was 8.7 ± 5.7 years and the infections were largel...