SUBDURAL EMPYEMA - ANALYSIS OF 32 CASES AND REVIEW

Thirty-two patients with subdural empyema at the University Hospital ( Birmingham, AL) during the period from June 1970 through June 1992 wer e identified retrospectively. Clinical presentations of patients, meth ods of diagnosis, results of microbiological tests, types of therapy u sed, and outcomes of patients are presented and compared with those fo und in prior reports, The patients were separated into three groups ba sed on the etiology of their disease: sinusitis, trauma and/or neurosu rgery, and other miscellaneous causes. Sinusitis accounted for 56% of the cases; the predominant organisms isolated from these patients were anaerobes and streptococci, No cases occurred secondary to otitis med ia, The overall mortality rate was 9%; however, 55% of patients had ne urological deficiency at the time they were discharged from the hospit al. Factors that affected survival were age (P < .007) and level of co nsciousness at presentation (P < .008).