Abstract
Acute bacterial meningitis and spinal epidural abscess are neurological emergencies.
Acute bacterial meningitis may present with symptoms as nonspecific as headache and
fever, but rapid progression to an altered level of consciousness is not unusual.
Spinal epidural abscess manifests initially as back pain, followed by radicular pain,
then weakness, and finally paraplegia. Brain abscess may initially present only with
headache, or as a new-onset seizure or with a focal neurological deficit. Bacterial
infections of the central nervous system require emergent diagnosis and management.
In this article, the pathogenesis, etiological organisms, diagnostic studies, differential
diagnosis and management of acute bacterial meningitis, spinal epidural abscess, and
brain abscess are discussed.
Keywords
acute bacterial meningitis - spinal epidural abscess - brain abscess
