Clinical, Microbiological, and Therapeutic Characteristics of Eight Pediatric Patients with Brain Abscess: A Case Series from Hospital General San Juan de Dios, 2021–2024

Brain abscess is an uncommon but potentially severe infection in pediatric patients and is associated with neurological complications. Information on its clinical and epidemiological characteristics in the pediatric population of Guatemala is limited. Objective: To characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of pediatric patients with brain abscess. Materials and Methods: An ambispective descriptive study was conducted among pediatric patients with a confirmed diagnosis of brain abscess admitted to Hospital General San Juan de Dios between 2021 and 2024. Epidemiological, clinical, microbiological, and therapeutic variables were analyzed. Results: Eight patients were included, with a male predominance and a mean age of 101 months. The most frequent cause was contiguous spread from infectious foci such as sinusitis, dental caries, mastoiditis, meningitis, and otitis. Overall, 87.5% of patients survived.