Suboccipital extracranial and intracranial abscess of a neonate: an exceedingly rare occurrence.

ABSTRACT

Intracranial abscess is a life-threatening disease that is uncommon in paediatric populations. Although there have been few reports in the literature, some aetiologies, such as mastoiditis and sinusitis, have been proposed. The pathophysiology is not completely known, and there are no data regarding the long-term follow-up of these patients. Herein, we present a case of a newborn affected with a mass in the suboccipital region due to an extracranial and intracranial abscess that had no clear association with infections except for a transient fever episode 1 month earlier. Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from an open-surgery sample identified the cause of the mass. The patient achieved excellent recovery with no recurrence even after 8 years of follow-up. To our knowledge, this rare pattern of infection highlights the importance of early diagnosis in combination with a surgical approach as an effective diagnosis and treatment approach that provided a good outcome.