Case Report:The Combination of Surgical and Pharmacological Treatment for Basal Ganglia Cryptococcal Meningitis

Abstract Objective To summarize the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and therapy of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) individuals. Methods Broad literature research has been conducted as well as the author’s own clinical experienced has been reviewed. Results Articles from the most recent 30 years have been collected while a typical case of our own has been presented. A total of 339 literatures were retrieved from PubMed database, and the inclusion criteria were as follows :1. Patients diagnosed with intracranial cryptococcal infection 2. Exclusion criteria for patients treated with drugs, surgery, or a combination of both: Patients who have died before receiving any treatment.Based on the most updated evidence, the combined therapy of surgery and pharmacology of CM has been proposed. Conclusion For patients who suffered from CM are untreated, the mortality rate is 100%. Even after some treatment, the mortality rate remains from 20%-60%. The early symptoms of CM often include fever, headache, nausea, or vomiting, some of them are accompanied with fatigue in the lower limps. Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) gram stain or the pathological analysis of brain tissue is highly specific for diagnosis, while head CT and MRI also play a supportive role in it. The first attempt of clinical treatment for CM, which is often caused by the immunodeficiency, is through pharmacological therapy. Surgical management mainly includes cerebrospinal fluid drainage and excision of the lesion to reduce the encephaledema. Both therapies have their own pros and cons.