{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,6]],"date-time":"2026-02-06T04:56:43Z","timestamp":1770353803963,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group (JNSPG)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,7]],"date-time":"2023-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1691366400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pediatric brainstem abscesses are rare entities that account for 1% of all brain abscesses and, when diagnosed, constitute a neurosurgical emergency.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>OBSERVATIONS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A previously healthy 11-year-old male presented with several days of worsening headache, confusion, and ataxia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a midbrain and pons lesion. The patient subsequently had a rapid neurological decline with loss of consciousness and brainstem function. Follow-up MRI revealed significant enlargement of the brainstem lesion with extension into the pons, midbrain, and thalamus, with greater concerns for an abscess rather than a tumor or an inflammatory process. He was taken for an emergent stereotactic aspiration of the abscess, and broad-spectrum antibiotics were initiated. He had neurological improvement, which subsequently declined 5 days later with brain MRI revealing an increase in the brainstem abscess, which required a second stereotactic aspiration. After rehabilitation, he made a significant neurological recovery.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>LESSONS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pediatric brainstem abscesses are rare pathologies, and a high index of suspicion is needed in patients presenting with a brainstem lesion mimicking tumor but with rapid neurological decline despite no other evidence of infection or infectious\/inflammatory markers. Stereotactic aspiration is required for large lesions to target the antibiotic treatment and as an adjunct to broad-spectrum antibiotics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3171\/case23262","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,8]],"date-time":"2023-08-08T10:08:43Z","timestamp":1691489323000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Pediatric brainstem abscess successfully treated with stereotactic aspiration: illustrative case"],"prefix":"10.3171","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Nahom","family":"Teferi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ajmain","family":"Chowdhury","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Meron","family":"Challa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lukasz","family":"Weiner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Auerbach","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mahil","family":"Rao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brian J.","family":"Dlouhy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa"},{"name":"University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa"},{"name":"Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Iowa City, Iowa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1754","reference":[{"issue":"10","key":"b1","series-title":"Acta Neurochir (Wien)","first-page":"2055","article-title":"Clinical characteristics and course of primary brain abscess","volume":"160","author":"Lange N","year":"2018","unstructured":"Lange N, Berndt M, J\u00f6rger AK,  Clinical characteristics and course of primary brain abscess. 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