Subdural empyema cost-effectiveness of therapy

Subdural empyema, also referred to as subdural abscess, pachymeningitis interna and circumscript meningitis, is a life-threatening infection.^[1] It consists of a localised collection of purulent material, usually unilateral, between the dura mater and the arachnoid mater and accounts for about 15-22% of the reported focal intracranial infections. The empyema may develop intracranially (about 95%) or in the spinal canal (about 5%), and in both cases, it constitutes a medical and neurosurgical emergency.^[2]

Attending to the fact that subdural empyema is considered the most imperative of all neurosurgical emergencies,^[2] an aggressive therapeutical approach to the patient with suspected subdural empyema, including diagnostic procedures, surgical and antibiotic therapies are of most importance, therefore justifying the costs involved.

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