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PubMed1999

Cervical spinal epidural abscesses. A report on five cases.

The authors report a series of five cases of non tuberculous cervical spinal epidural abscesses. There were neither patients suffering from immunodeficiency syndromes nor drug addicts; all the patients were in their seventh decade; two patients were affected by diabetes mellitus refractory to medical treatment. Retropharyngeal abscess was the main etiological risk factor (two cases); Staphylococcus aureus was cultured in two cases. Gadolinium MRI was necessary for a preoperative diagnosis, planning surgical approach and postoperative prognosis. Surgical debridement was performed via an anterior approach in those cases where the collection was located lower than C4 and did not span more than three vertebral segments; posterior approach, via a laminectomy, was performed in a case of C1-C2 location of the lesion and in a case of involvement of the whole cervical spine. Surgical results were poor in those patients affected by diabetes mellitus, a lesion involving the high cervical segments (higher than C4) or a lesion spanning more than three levels. Medical treatment with MRI follow-up was not undertaken in any of the patients and we opted for surgical drainage in all the cases due to the possibility of a sudden neurological deterioration, caused both by spinal cord mechanical compression and vascular compromission.

Abscess↗
PubMed2006

Spinal epidural abscess due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a patient with AIDS: case report and review of the literature.

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare infectious disorder that often has delayed diagnosis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. We present a case of an AIDS patient with a SEA due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This type of SEA in AIDS patients is characterized by localized spinal pain and prolonged fever. Magnetic resonance imaging is the method of choice in the diagnostic process. Early diagnosis, followed by specific therapy (surgical decompression combined with antituberculous drugs), is necessary to improve the prognosis of these kinds of patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2005

[Epidural abscess after prostatic biopsies].

Prostatic biopsy is a routine clinical procedure often wrongly considered to be perfectly harmless. The authors report the first case of epidural abscess after prostatic biopsy, despite properly conducted antibiotic prophylaxis. Although the epidural space is a known site of infection, the relationship with prostatic biopsies has never been previously reported. This clinical case emphasizes the need for complete patient information and the importance of anti-infective prophylaxis guidelines.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1992

Spinal epidural abscess complicating vertebral osteomyelitis: an insidious cause of deteriorating spinal cord function.

Spinal epidural abscess may complicate vertebral osteomyelitis. The purpose of this report is to discuss its course in two patients with sensory/motor and cognitive impairment and to demonstrate the need for its early detection. Delayed detection may lead to spinal cord injury or meningitis. It may also delay functional return and hinder intensive rehabilitation efforts. Two patients are presented.

Abscess↗
PubMed1990

Changing concepts in spinal epidural abscess: a report of 29 cases.

A review of our recent experience with spinal epidural abscess (SEA) reveals several important changing concepts in diagnosis, etiology, management, and outcome. All cases of SEA seen by our service from August 1975 to July 1989 were reviewed retrospectively, and 29 patients were identified (19 men and 10 women, aged 13-78 years). Abscesses were located in the lumbar (n = 21), thoracic (n = 7), and cervical (n = 1) epidural spaces. Gram-positive organisms were the infectious agent in 72% of the cases, and Staphylococcus aureus was the sole agent in 45%; other agents were Gram-negative aerobes (n = 5), a Gram-negative anaerobe (n = 1), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (n = 1), and Sporotrichum schenckii (n = 1), the last occurring in a young woman with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Seventeen patients had concomitant extraspinal infections. Diagnosis was confirmed by myelography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. All patients underwent operative decompression and debridement; 2 required a second procedure for persistent infection. The most common operative findings were pus and granulation tissue in the epidural space (52%); the preoperative course correlated poorly with operative findings. The wound was closed primarily in 84% of cases. Postoperative intravenous antibiotic courses for the bacterial abscesses ranged from 1.5 to 6 weeks (median, 2 weeks), followed by antibiotics given orally for 0 to 6 weeks. Two patients died perioperatively. Neurological outcome was good in 21 patients and fair in 6 (mean follow-up, 1.4 years). Over the last 50 years the spectrum of organisms causing SEA has broadened, and the distinction between acute and chronic SEAs has minimal clinical significance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abscess↗
PubMed1999

Mycobacterium avium complex spinal epidural abscess in an HIV patient.

Although Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is the most common opportunistic bacterial infection in AIDS patients, epidural involvement is rare. A case of MAC spinal epidural abscess without vertebral osteomyelitis, that was continuous with presacral and bilateral piriformis muscle inflammation, is reported.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2003

[Acute headache with meningism and xanthochromic cerebrospinal fluid.An unusual manifestation of cervical epidural abscess].

We report on a 70-year-old female with acute onset of headache, meningism, xanthochromic cerebrospinal fluid, and developing laboratory parameters indicating a systemic infection. Initially, a subarachnoidal hemorrhage was assumed. However, magnetic resonance imaging showed upper cervical osteomyelitis and extending spinal epidural abscess. After application of broad systemic antibiotics, secluded abscess formation was achieved and successful neurosurgical debridement performed. The unusual cranial concentration of the complaints is probably due to the involvement of the craniocervical transition. Cervical epidural spinal abscess represents a potentially dangerous bacterial infection of the upper spine. Inadequate treatment can lead to irreversible neurological deficits. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging is an effective tool for diagnosis, since early diagnosis is important for good prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spinal epidural abscess: the nurse's role in early detection and intervention.

Spinal epidural abscess occurs rarely but is a neurosurgical emergency because of its potential for causing rapidly progressive spinal cord compression and irreversible paralysis. Astute monitoring by the critical care nurse may improve patient outcome through early detection and intervention.

Abscess↗
PubMed2003

Cervicothoracolumbar spinal epidural abscess with tetraparesis. Good recovery after non-surgical treatment with antibiotics and dexamethasone. Case report and review of the literature.

We report the conservative treatment of a spinal epidural abscess (SEA) caused by escherichia coli and affecting the anterior epidural space from C2 to L4 in a diabetic, obese patient presenting with tetraparesis. The favourable clinical response to the administration of dexamethasone and antibiotics is described. We review the literature on non-surgical treatment of SEA with special regard to the use of corticosteroids.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2005

Spinal epidural abscess: an analysis of 24 cases.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in neuroimaging and neurosurgical care, spinal abscess remains a challenging problem with mortality rates ranging from 4.6% to 31% in recent series. METHODS: Between January 1986 and December 2003, 24 patients with spinal epidural abscess were treated. Seventeen were men and 7 were women at the average age of 47.5 years. Concurrent illnesses that result in immunodepression such as diabetes and infections occurred in 62% of the case patients. All patients had back pain, 16 had muscle weakness, 9 had paresthesias, and 8 had sphincteral changes. Twenty-one patients underwent surgical procedures. In 11 case patients, the abscess had a frankly purulent material, and, in 5, the epidural lesion consisted of granulation tissue; the other 5 case patients had a combination of the 2. Three patients were treated conservatively. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 57% of the case patients. The lumbar spine was affected in 11 patients; the cervical spine, in 3. RESULTS: Fifteen patients recovered their normal neurological functions but 4 remained with some neurological disability. No deaths occurred in this series. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate surgical drainage of the abscess, before the development of severe neurological deficit, combined with specific antibiotics remains the treatment of choice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Gallium-67 scintigraphy as an aid in the detection of spinal epidural abscess.

Gadolinium-enhanced MRI is considered the study of choice for diagnosing spinal epidural abscess (SEA). Most of such cases, however, are not suspected initially, and thus do not benefit from the procedure. A case of SEA is described in which positive Ga-67 scintigraphy shortly before onset of lower extremity dysfunction was instrumental in obtaining an emergency gadolinium-enhanced MRI and establishing the diagnosis.

Abscess↗