Cerebellar abscesses: a review of seventeen cases

Seventeen cases of cerebellar abscesses are reviewed. (Five abscesses were secondary to chronic mastoiditis.). The incidence was 18% of all brain abscesses. Thirteen were males, and four were females. Headache was the most common presenting symptom. These abscesses have a better prognosis for survival and neurological function than supratentorial abscesses. They are less likely to be encapsulated. Continued neurological decline in the face of adequate surgical treatment of a single abscess should alert the physician to the possibility of a second abscess.