Abstract: This paper investigated the factors of intracranial infection and the diagnostic value of CT and MRI in patients after craniocerebral surgery. 988 patients who underwent craniocerebral surgery were selected as study subjects. Patients with intracranial infection after craniocerebral surgery were examined by CT and MRI, and then analyzed the factors of intracranial infection and the diagnostic value of CT and MRI in patients after craniotomy. 988 questionnaires were sent out and 970 were returned, among them there were 65 patients with craniocerebral surgery developed intracranial infection, the incidence rate was 6.70%. As shown in univariate analysis, the occurrence of intracranial infection in patients after craniotomy was associated with operative time, number of operations, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, extraventricular drainage, surgical site, and whether comorbid diabetes mellitus (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis shows that the operative time, number of operations, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, extraventricular drainage, surgical site, whether comorbid diabetes mellitus were the main factors affecting postoperative intracranial infection in patients undergoing cranial surgery (P<0.05). The positive diagnostic yield of MRI examination for intracranial infection with different pathogenic bacteria and different abnormal classes was higher than that of CT examination (P<0.05). In conclusion, the risk factors of intracranial infection after craniotomy are operative time, number of surgical procedures, postoperative CSF leakage, extraventricular drainage, surgical site, whether combined with diabetes mellitus, and MRI has a high diagnostic accuracy for intracranial infection.

Key words: brain surgery, intracranial infection, risk factors, CT, MRI