Neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis can occur any time during the course of the disease and some of them need neurosurgical aproach.
Objective: to determine the incidence of neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis in children requring neurosurgical treatment.
Material and methodology: a total of 277 children were followed and treated for bacterial meningitis at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in Prishtina. The authors have analyzed cases who developed acute neurologic complications and treatment procedures.
Results: of the 277 children treated for bacterial meningitis, due to the suspicion for neurologic complications, 109 children underwent a head computerized tomography scan. About 47 cases (43%) had evident structural abnormalities while only 15/277 cases (5%) required neurosurgical treatment; 9/38 cases with subdural collections, 5 cases with hydrocephalus and 1 case of spinal abscess.
Conclusion: Neurosurgical intervention were not common in pediatric bacterial meningitis cases (5%) but were highly significant in cases complicated with acute neurologic complications (32%).