Overview
A brain abscess is a brain infection that may cause problems with a child's brain and spinal cord function. The team at Boston Children's Hospital works quickly to identify a child's brain abscess and take all the steps necessary to remove it. A brain abscess:
- can occur in all children, but are more common in young school-aged children
- occur twice as often in boys than in girls
- may be the result of a virus or infection
- can be detected through a variety of tests, including X-ray, MRI and CT scans
- may be treated with medication, but surgery may be required
