Pneumocephalus Associated with Aggressive Pneumococcal Meningitis

Isabel Taveira; Hipólito Nzwalo; José Sousa E Costa; Pedro Moreira

doi:10.12890/2020_001677

Pneumocephalus Associated with Aggressive Pneumococcal Meningitis

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Apr 28;7(7):001677. doi: 10.12890/2020_001677. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Isabel Taveira¹, Hipólito Nzwalo^{1

2}, José Sousa E Costa¹, Pedro Moreira³

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Department, Litoral Alentejano Hospital, Monte do Gilbardinho, Santiago do Cacém, Portugal.
² Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
³ Intensive Care Unit, Litoral Alentejano Hospital, Monte do Gilbardinho, Santiago do Cacém, Portugal.

Abstract

A 44-year-old woman presented with headache and delirium. Brain tomography indicated pneumocephalus, while blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures revealed Streptococcus pneumoniae. Despite antibiotic treatment and admission to the intensive care unit, the patient died 3 days later. Pneumocephalus in association with meningitis is very rare and may be caused by gas produced by microorganisms.

Learning points: Non-traumatic pneumocephalus should raise the suspicion of meningitis and prompt suitable treatment.Previous pneumococcal saccharide conjugate vaccine administration does not exclude the possibility of serious pneumococcal infection.

Keywords: Pneumocephalus; meningitis; pneumococcal.