Walsh & Hoyt: Abscesses

An abscess is a circumscribed area of pus. Intracranial abscesses may be epidural, subdural, or intracerebral. An epidural abscess initially tends to be small and flat because the dura develops an increasingly strong adhesion to the bone of the skull throughout life, and it becomes more difficult to detach. The adhesion of the dura to the bone thus confines the abscess and usually limits its size. Nevertheless, the abscess can grow with time.