J Emerg Med
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Review Case Reports
Brain abscess in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: case report and literature review.
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), or Osler-Weber-Rendu disease, affects multiple organ systems. Brain abscess is a potential complication, and this disease carries a high mortality. In the setting of HHT the abscess most likely results from paradoxical septic emboli or bacterial seeding of an ischemic portion of the brain after paradoxical sterile emboli. ⋯ We present a case of brain abscess in a patient with HHT presenting to the Emergency Department. The review of the literature deals with the pathophysiology and manifestations of HHT with particular focus on the pathologic and clinical features, and management of cerebral abscess in this setting. Differences between patients with brain abscess with or without HHT are highlighted.