A case of 'circling seizures' and an intratumoral abscess

We describe a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with 'circling' seizures and was found to have an intracranial mass with features consistent with a meningioma. Three weeks prior to her presentation she underwent an uncomplicated vaginal hysterectomy. However, after discharge to home she developed a 4-day history of fever, chills and night sweats that eventually resolved. She underwent surgical removal of her intracranial mass without difficulty but intra-operative pathology showed features of acute cerebritis at the margins of the tumor. Further sectioning of the mass revealed evidence of an intratumoral abscess. Culture of the meningioma revealed heavy growth of Bacteroides fragilis. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics, discharged home in excellent health and has had no recurrence of seizures. In our case report we will review the historical literature on the incidence and features of intratumoral abscess. Although it is considered a rare event, our case demonstrates both common and unique features about this occurrence and highlights an unusual chain of events in the natural history of the patient's meningioma and the way in which it became clinically apparent. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.