Asymptomatic Cryptogenic Brain Abscess: A Case Report

We report a case of a cryptogenic brain abscess in a 48-year-old immunocompetent male who was admitted for acute alcohol intoxication and a fall. A computed tomography scan (CT) of the brain showed a 10.5mm solitary mass in the parieto-occipital lobe. After his initial symptoms were resolved, there were no acute neurological or systemic symptoms. Due to the incidental CT finding, an extensive work up was conducted, including a brain biopsy, which resulted in a surprising diagnosis of brain abscess with no identified source of infection. He was treated with cefepime, metronidazole, and vancomycin. Literature review was done through PubMed searching for cases of cryptogenic brain abscesses with no neurologic symptoms. The review resulted in cryptogenic cases but no cases of asymptomatic cryptogenic brain abscesses.