It is now generally recognized that excessive amounts of fluid may be collected in the subdural space after bacterial meningitis in infancy. During the past year three cases, whose ages were 2 weeks, 5 months and 6 months respectively, with subdural effusion after purulent meningitis due to Alkalescens dispar or Escherichiacoli were admitted to our clinic. Convulsive seizures, hemiparesis, irritability and fever were seen in all cases after apparently sufficient tretment of acute meningitis with broad spectrum antibiotics, and diagnostic subdural tap, carotid angiography and subdural pneumography revealed the presence of subdural effusions. Out of three cases 2 were successfully treated by repeated subdural tappings only and the remaining case was cured by subdural-peritoneal shunt following evacuation of the effusion. In order to prevent severe neurologic deficits or mental retardation after postmeningitic subdural effusion in infancy, the early diagnosis is essential and for this purpose diagnostic subdural tap should be performed routinely when patients do poorly after apparently satisfactory treatment of the acute stage of meningitis.
Finally, the literatures so far reported were reviewed and incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of postmeningitic subdural effusion in infancy were discussed.
