ISPUB.COM The Internet Journal of Neurology Volume 13 Number 1 1 of 8 Record review of patients with Brain Abscess and Empyema at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. K Gradidge, D Franzsen Citation K Gradidge, D Franzsen. Record review of patients with Brain Abscess and Empyema at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.. The Internet Journal of Neurology. 2009 Volume 13 Number 1. Abstract Studies on brain abscess (BA) and Empyema are not routinely focused on the role of occupational therapy (OT) with these patients. There is a paucity of literature on deficits resulting from BA and Empyema other than hemiplegia. This study used a retrospective record review to determine the relationship between BA, Empyema, and resultant physical and psychosocial dysfunction. Patients with BA generally had more significant deficits than those with Empyema for both physical and psychosocial performance components. Hemiplegia was the most common physical deficit found with the most common psychosocial deficit being body concept. Remediation of these deficits falls within the scope of OT which is recommended for this patient population. INTRODUCTION Brain abscess (or cerebral abscess) and Empyema are suppurative infections in the central nervous system. Both brain abscess (BA) and Empyema are rare but serious disorders 1-3 with an incidence of approximately two- three cases per million per year 4 occurring more commonly in underdeveloped countries 5 . The clinical findings, associated with BA and Empyema are related to the effects of a space occupying lesion. These symptoms include headache, fever, vomiting, seizures, mental changes and coma while the signs they present with are focal neurological deficits, papilloedema, hemiplegia, cranial nerve palsies and ataxia 1,6 . No research could be found on occupational therapy (OT) related to this group of patients and the effect this condition may have on their occupational performance. Occupational performance is involvement in purposeful and goal directed activities of daily living which relates to an individual’s ability to interact with the environment resulting in the use of discrete physical and psychosocial performance components. The term physical components refers to aspects like movement , while psychosocial performance components encompass the cognitive and perceptual aspects of doing 7 . Occupational therapists are primarily concerned with the remediation of physical and psychosocial deficits related to the psychosocial of doing, which prevent independence in the areas of work, play and activities of daily living 7 . Due to the rarity of BA and Empyema 1,2 , especially in first world communities where most medical research is conducted, this condition has received little attention and there is sparse literature on the dysfunction in psychosocial performance components secondary to BA and Empyema. In the most recent study detailing this aspect Gormley et al. (1996) found that cognitive problems in participants with BA were actually their the most severe deficit found in this group of patients 3 . This was especially true in children with the long term implications being poor scholastic achievement up to six years post treatment 3 . This research as well as other literature does routinely list the physical performance component deficits including hemiparesis and focal neurological deficits such as epilepsy 3,8 secondary to BA and Empyema. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the physical and psychosocial deficits commonly found in the patient population presenting with BA and Empyema. The demographics of the population were also of interest as this condition is rarely seen even at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is a 3500-bed academic hospital in Soweto serving an estimated population of three million people 9 . METHODS STUDY AIM The primary aim of this study was to determine the