{"title":"Synergistic Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medical Intervention in the Treatment of Brain Abscess: A Case Report.","authors":"Jielian Luo, Changya Liu, Jinhua Li, Chenxing Huo, Yiying Lu, Liang Liu, Wei Peng, Bangjiang Fang","doi":"10.59249/HHUU3725","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain abscess is life-threatening and carries a high risk of mortality. Despite advances in sensitive imaging techniques, effective antimicrobial therapies, and sophisticated surgical procedures, diagnosing and treating brain abscesses remains challenging. Although empirical antimicrobial therapy and neurosurgery are considered primary treatments for brain abscesses, their efficacy is limited by potential side effects including neutropenia development, the need for repeat surgeries, and the risk of new-onset epilepsy. Here, we present a case of a 52-year-old male patient who experienced paroxysmal convulsions accompanied by left-sided limb weakness and numbness for over 2 months. Despite a brain MRI revealing a multilocular cystic lesion in the right frontal lobe, with about 28 mm × 19 mm × 21 mm in size, the patient declined neurosurgical interventions. After completing a 6-week course of antimicrobial therapy, the patient sought traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment. As a result, the patient remained free of paroxysmal convulsions for about 60 days after a 4-month TCM treatment. A follow-up MRI imaging at 8 months showed a reduction in the size of the lesion in the right frontal lobe to 8 mm × 4 mm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of a brain abscess that was successfully managed with a combination of antimicrobial therapy and TCM. This case report suggests that TCM may provide significant supplementary benefits in managing infections like brain abscesses. However, further evidence from prospective studies is necessary to substantiate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of brain abscesses.</p>","PeriodicalId":48617,"journal":{"name":"Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11426296/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.59249/HHUU3725","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/9/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Brain abscess is life-threatening and carries a high risk of mortality. Despite advances in sensitive imaging techniques, effective antimicrobial therapies, and sophisticated surgical procedures, diagnosing and treating brain abscesses remains challenging. Although empirical antimicrobial therapy and neurosurgery are considered primary treatments for brain abscesses, their efficacy is limited by potential side effects including neutropenia development, the need for repeat surgeries, and the risk of new-onset epilepsy. Here, we present a case of a 52-year-old male patient who experienced paroxysmal convulsions accompanied by left-sided limb weakness and numbness for over 2 months. Despite a brain MRI revealing a multilocular cystic lesion in the right frontal lobe, with about 28 mm × 19 mm × 21 mm in size, the patient declined neurosurgical interventions. After completing a 6-week course of antimicrobial therapy, the patient sought traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment. As a result, the patient remained free of paroxysmal convulsions for about 60 days after a 4-month TCM treatment. A follow-up MRI imaging at 8 months showed a reduction in the size of the lesion in the right frontal lobe to 8 mm × 4 mm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of a brain abscess that was successfully managed with a combination of antimicrobial therapy and TCM. This case report suggests that TCM may provide significant supplementary benefits in managing infections like brain abscesses. However, further evidence from prospective studies is necessary to substantiate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of brain abscesses.
期刊介绍:
The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (YJBM) is a graduate and medical student-run, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the publication of original research articles, scientific reviews, articles on medical history, personal perspectives on medicine, policy analyses, case reports, and symposia related to biomedical matters. YJBM is published quarterly and aims to publish articles of interest to both physicians and scientists. YJBM is and has been an internationally distributed journal with a long history of landmark articles. Our contributors feature a notable list of philosophers, statesmen, scientists, and physicians, including Ernst Cassirer, Harvey Cushing, Rene Dubos, Edward Kennedy, Donald Seldin, and Jack Strominger. Our Editorial Board consists of students and faculty members from Yale School of Medicine and Yale University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. All manuscripts submitted to YJBM are first evaluated on the basis of scientific quality, originality, appropriateness, contribution to the field, and style. Suitable manuscripts are then subject to rigorous, fair, and rapid peer review.