Neurosurgical infections

The central nervous system is a very delicate and vulnerable organ which enjoys protection by layers of coverings. It is described as an immunological vacuum, and when afflicted by infections the outcome is most often devastating. Factors leading to compromise of the host defense play a major role in establishing neurosurgical infections. A number of such factors can either be avoided or minimized. Over the past decades, these infections have been fatal. However, more recently, the advent of newer more effective antibiotics, improved bacteriological studies, advanced imaging facilities, and meticulous surgical techniques have turned around the outcomes. This article will review infections of the central nervous system of neurosurgical significance.