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PubMedDate not supplied

Kingella kingae infection in healthy children.

Kingella kingae is a gram-negative occasional, but normal, inhabitant of the nasopharynx. We present two new cases of this infection that occurred in previously healthy children, and compare and contrast them to other cases reported in the literature. K. kingae osteomyelitis generally has an insidious, subacute onset, whereas septic arthritis has an acute presentation. To date, all strains of K. kingae have been sensitive to penicillin, and no residual damage has been reported following osteomyelitis or septic arthritis, except that residual disk space narrowing did occur after K. kingae discitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Bilateral endogenous bacterial endophthalmitis: a report of four cases.

PURPOSE: To present and discuss four cases of bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis. METHODS: An observational study of four patients aged 55-80 years, seen within a 2-year period. All had diagnostic and therapeutic vitrectomy. The antibiotic therapy was guided by analyses of cultures of blood and vitreous. RESULTS: Blood cultures demonstrated Streptococcus pneumoniae in two patients and Staphylococcus aureus and Morganella morganii, each in one patient. The findings corresponded with culture findings from vitreous material in two patients. The primary foci for the metastatic spread of infection were endocarditis, discitis and a subdural abscess of the lumbar spine, urinary tract infection, and infection of a recent hip alloplasty, respectively, in the four patients. Five eyes became blind, whereas three eyes recovered to visual acuity of 0.25-0.67. CONCLUSIONS: Endogenous bacterial endophthalmitis usually leads to total loss of vision. The disease is acute and the time span for intervention limited. We believe that an active therapeutic approach including intravitreal antibiotics and vitreoretinal surgery saved three eyes from blindness.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Do the radiological changes of classic ankylosing spondylitis differ from the changes found in the spondylitis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and reactive arthritis?

OBJECTIVE: In 1971 McEwen and colleagues suggested that the radiological changes of classic ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and the changes of the spondylitis associated with inflammatory bowel disease differ in several respects from the radiological features of psoriatic and reactive spondylitis. The findings of this study have never been confirmed. The aim of this study was to replicate the McEwen study comparing films blinded to diagnostic group. METHODS: The study population comprised 91 patients with classic AS, 15 patients with regional enteritis, 16 patients with ulcerative colitis, five patients with sexually acquired reactive arthritis, two with post-dysenteric arthritis, and 34 with psoriatic arthritis. Blinded reading of spinal radiographs was undertaken, scoring for severity, symmetry, paravertebral ossification, size of syndesmophytes, ligamentous calcification, squaring, discitis, pseudofractures, zygoapophyseal joint involvement, and complete ankylosis. RESULTS: Comparison of the four groups--classic, enteropathic, psoriatic, and reactive AS--showed differences with respect to symmetry of sacroiliitis, symmetry of lumbar spinal involvement, and frequency and size of syndesmophytes. Zygoapophyseal joint involvement was more frequent in the lumbar spine in classic and enteropathic spondylitis but no between group differences were found with respect to symphisitis, squaring, apophyseal joint involvement and ligamentous calcification in the lumbar spine, and other areas. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the radiological differences described by McEwen et al, notably the asymmetry, the less severe changes, and the distinctive syndesmophytes in psoriasis, have been confirmed. A number of phypotheses are proposed to explain these differences including biomechanical, biochemical, and genetic factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography contributes to the diagnosis and management of infections in patients with multiple myeloma: a study of 165 infectious episodes.

PURPOSE: Correctly identifying infection in cancer patients can be challenging. Limited data suggest that positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) may be useful for diagnosing infection. To determine the role of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of infection in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 248 patients who had FDG-PET performed for MM staging or infection work-up revealing increased uptake at extramedullary sites and/or bones and joints that would be atypical for MM between October 2001 and May 2004 were reviewed to identify infections and evaluate FDG-PET contribution to patient outcome. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five infections were identified in 143 adults with MM. Infections involved the respiratory tract [99; pneumonia (93), sinusitis (six)], bone, joint and soft tissues [26; discitis (10), osteomyelitis (nine), septic arthritis (one), cellulitis (six)], vascular system [18; septic thrombophlebitis (nine), infection of implantable catheter (eight), septic emboli (one)], gastrointestinal tract [12; colitis (seven), abdominal abscess (three), and diverticulitis and esophagitis (one each)], and dentition [periodontal abscess (10)]. Infections were caused by bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, and viruses. FDG-PET detected infection even in patients with severe neutropenia and lymphopenia (30 episodes). The FDG-PET findings identified infections not detectable by other methods (46 episodes), determined extent of infection (32 episodes), and led to modification of work-up and therapy (55 episodes). Twenty silent, but clinically relevant, infections were detected among patients undergoing staging FDG-PET. CONCLUSION: In patients with MM, FDG-PET is a useful tool for diagnosing and managing infections even in the setting of severe immunosuppression.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Intervertebral disc space infection in a child presenting as a psoas abscess: case report.

Intervertebral disc space infection in children is usually a benign, self-limiting process. We report on what is, to our knowledge, the first case of discitis in a child that developed into an anterior paraspinous abscess. This 13-year-old girl had a 3-month history of low back and leg pain and low grade fever. Roentgenograms of the spine showed collapse of the L-5, S-1 interspace with destruction of the L-5 vertebral body and, on the lateral lumbar view, an anterior soft tissue mass. Computed tomography showed a paraspinous mass to the right of the L-4 and L-5 vertebral bodies. Access to a right psoas abscess was gained through a retroperitoneal abdominal approach; draining of the abscess revealed necrotic disc material extruding from the L-5, S-1 interspace. Her recovery was uneventful. The causative organism proved to be Staphylococcus aureus.

Abscess↗
PubMed1992

Closed continuous drainage of cerebrospinal fluid via a lumbar subarachnoid catheter for treatment or prevention of cranial/spinal cerebrospinal fluid fistula.

One hundred and seven patients who had a lumbar subarachnoid catheter (teflon or silicone) placed for closed continuous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage between 1983-1991 are presented. Overall, the drain was successful in achieving the desired goal in 101 of 107 (94%) cases. There were no deaths. Five of 107 (5%) patients developed infections including two cases (2%) of meningitis. There were three cases (3%) of overdrainage with temporary neurologic decline, but all recovered. Five of fifteen (33%) teflon catheters required replacement because of occlusion, but only 5 of 92 (5%) silicone catheters required replacement. Transient lumbar nerve root irritation was seen in 15 of 107 (14%) patients treated for a CSF fistula, and all symptoms resolved after drain removal. CSF fistula/pseudomeningocele after spine surgery was cured by CSF drainage in 36 of 39 (92%) cases; there was a 10% incidence of infection (1 wound, 2 discitis, 1 meningitis). CSF fistula after cranial surgery was cured in 22 of 25 (87%) cases; there was 1 case of (4%) infection and 1 case (4%) of overdrainage. A drain was used to augment a tenuous dural closure in 38 patients with 100% success; no infection occurred and there were 2 cases (5%) of overdrainage. Five patients were successfully treated for traumatic CSF rhinorrhea/otorrhea without complications. The silicone catheter appears superior to the teflon catheter; however, both are simple, safe, and efficacious for the treatment or prevention of CSF fistulas.

Catheterization↗
PubMed1995

Lumbar discectomy: use of an epidural morphine sponge for postoperative pain control.

A technique for extended ambulatory epidural pain control after lumbar discectomy is described; preliminary results with 45 patients are reported; and alternative methods of narcotic analgesia are reviewed. In this technique, an absorbable gelatin sponge (Gelfoam, Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI) is contoured to the laminotomy defect, placed in methylprednisolone acetate (40-80 mg), and then injected with 2 to 4 mg of preservative-free morphine (a small needle was used to fill the sponge). The sponge is placed over the defect before closure. A review of office and hospital records was conducted. The series consisted of 33 men and 12 women (mean age, 39 yr; range, 24-57 yr); records showed narcotic use in 34 patients (parenteral in 3) and work-related injuries in 14 patients. Thirty-three patients were ambulatory postoperatively on the day of surgery; all were ambulatory by postoperative day (POD) 1. On the day of surgery, 18 patients did not require any postoperative analgesics; on POD 1, 22 patients did not require analgesics. Six patients received parenteral narcotics; four received one dose only, and two had two or more doses. Thirty-one patients were discharged from the hospital on POD 1, and 10 were discharged POD 2. The other patients were discharged from the hospital on POD 3 (three patients) or POD 4 (one patient). When they were discharged, all patients received a limited supply of acetaminophen with codeine for pain control at home. After discharge, phone follow-up (at 1 week) and office follow-ups (at 3-5 weeks) revealed only one patient with more than mild discomfort. Three patients required one-time bladder catheterization, and one patient had presumed discitis 1 month postoperatively. In a control group who had undergone surgery 3 months previously, the average day of discharge had been POD 3.07; no control patient had been discharged on POD 1, and only 20% had been discharged on POD 2. This method provides effective, safe, and extended analgesia after lumbar discectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Using Dermabond for wound closure in lumbar and cervical neurosurgical procedures.

OBJECTIVE: 2-Octylcyanoacrylate (Dermabond; Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ) is a liquid adhesive being used with increasing frequency for the closure of lacerations and surgical incisions. Dermabond provides excellent cosmetic closure, and recent studies have demonstrated very low infection risks when it is properly applied. There are no published studies using Dermabond on lumbar or cervical procedures. This study was undertaken to determine whether Dermabond is safe and efficacious to use in these common neurosurgical procedures. METHODS: Records of 200 consecutive patients with Dermabond closure after anterior cervical discectomy, microlumbar discectomy, or lumbar laminectomy by the senior author (JEB) with a mean follow-up time of 5.42 months were retrospectively reviewed. Suspected infections with or without confirmatory cultures, erythema, and incisional drainage were documented. RESULTS: Of 200 patients, 85 underwent microlumbar discectomy, 22 lumbar laminectomy, and 93 anterior cervical discectomy. There was only 1 definitive infection, which was a culture-proven discitis in a microlumbar discectomy patient. Of the remaining 85 microlumbar discectomies, there was 1 transient incisional erythema. Of the 22 lumbar laminectomies, there was 1 patient with clinical superficial wound infection with negative cultures and 4 patients with transient incisional drainage without infection. Of the 93 anterior cervical discectomies, 2 had transient incisional drainage without infection. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that Dermabond is safe to use in neurosurgery patients undergoing lumbar or cervical procedures, with only 1 patient of 200 having a proven infection. Patients are able to shower and do not have sutures or staples to remove. Patient responses are overwhelmingly positive.

Cervical Vertebrae↗
PubMed2002

Back injuries in the pediatric athlete.

Pediatric and adolescent athletes presenting with back pain are much more likely to have a pathologic cause for their symptoms than are adult patients. For this reason, it is important for those caring for younger athletes to maintain a high index of suspicion for some of the more common pathologic causes of back pain in this population. Diagnostic evaluation should be undertaken more quickly in pediatric and adolescent athletes. Sports-related diagnoses that must be considered include disc-related back pain, atypical Scheuermann's kyphosis, spondylolysis, and spondylolisthesis. Patients of this age may also present with conditions not associated with activity, including discitis, classic Scheuermann's disease, rheumatologic disease, and spinal tumors. History and physical exam provide valuable information to help guide further diagnostic studies which, in turn, will determine necessary treatment. No definitive studies are available regarding the diagnosis and treatment of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. Health professionals need to consider the expertise of a local radiologist when deciding upon diagnostic imaging procedures. The athlete's age and sport played can contribute to the appropriate treatment plan.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed1978

Lateral lumbar discography.

The technique of lateral lumbar discography is described and compared with that of posterior lumbar discography. Its safety is demonstrated in a series of 1500 patients, only four of whom developed complications of note. Of these four, three developed discitis and one a retroperitoneal haemorrhage, all of which settled with conservative treatment.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

The detection of spinal pseudarthrosis in ankylosing spondylitis.

Spinal pseudarthrosis in ankylosing spondylitis can be difficult to detect radiologically. This paper assesses the value of bone radioscintigraphy in relation to radiological examination. The patterns of tracer uptake in the spine were recorded in 16 patients in whom established ankylosing spondylitis was complicated by pseudarthrosis. Twenty such lesions were identified in 16 patients, mostly occurring at one level in a junctional region of the spine. Four patients had two lesions. Standard radiography failed to demonstrate this abnormality in seven patients and in these, tomography was required to confirm the scintigraphic findings. On the other hand, bone scanning was much less accurate in detecting the minor forms of marginal vertebral end plate destruction (spondylo-discitis) than conventional radiology. This study suggests that 99TcmMDP scanning is a useful primary investigation for the detection of spinal pseudarthrosis in patients with chronic ankylosing spondylitis who suffer late onset back pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Vertebral osteomyelitis in infants.

Four infants between 2 and 13 weeks of age developed vertebral osteomyelitis. Their symptoms were different from those of children with discitis in that our patients were systemically ill, there was almost complete dissolution of involved vertebral bodies with either normal or nearly normal adjacent vertebral endplates, and three of the four children had recurrence of infection. The importance of long-term antibiotic treatment is emphasised. Years later the radiographic appearance of these children can be identical to congenital kyphosis with either anterior failure of segmentation or posterior hemivertebrae. The treatment should be the same as for congenital kyphosis with early bracing in extension and early fusion for progressive kyphosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Rheumatoid arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

We report seven cases of patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in whom involvement of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae occurred. Histological corroboration is presented in four. Pathological lesions comprised various combinations of paravertebral joint erosions, erosive discitis, anteroposterior and rotatory instability, major lumbar nerve root compression, and vertebral collapse. Specific radiological features are presented, enabling a distinction to be made between pure degenerative spondylosis and rheumatoid spondylitis. We submit that subcervical rheumatoid spondylitis is commoner than is generally believed, though less common than rheumatoid involvement of the cervical spine.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

The changes in the intervertebral disc after chemonucleolysis demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine produces images which reflect the chemical composition of the intervertebral disc. We have conducted a prospective study of the serial changes in the MRI appearance of the intervertebral disc after chemonucleolysis with the enzyme chymopapain. Fourteen patients were studied after single-level chemonucleolysis and the results compared with a control group of 17 discs in six patients who had diagnostic discography without enzyme insertion. A consistent pattern of gradual loss of signal from the nucleus pulposus culminating in complete loss of nuclear signal was seen in all cases after chemonucleolysis. Chymopapain therefore produced MRI changes analogous with premature gross disc degeneration. The rate at which this occurred varied; complete loss of signal took at least six weeks. Transitory minor end-plate changes were present in five patients, probably representing a mild chemical discitis. No similar changes were seen in the discography group.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery of the intervertebral disc. A comparison between gentamicin and cefuroxime.

Antibiotics are often administrated prophylactically in spinal procedures to reduce the risk of infection of the disc space. It is still not known which antibiotics are able to penetrate the intervertebral disc effectively. In a prospective, randomised, double-blind clinical study, we examined the penetration of the intervertebral discs of two commonly used antibiotics, cefuroxime and gentamicin. The patients, randomised into two groups, received either 1.5 g of cefuroxime or 5 mg/kg of gentamicin prophylactically two hours before their intervertebral discs were removed. A specimen of blood, from which serum antibiotic levels were determined, was obtained at the time of discectomy. Therapeutic levels of antibiotic were detectable in the intervertebral discs of the ten patients who received gentamicin. Only two of the ten patients (20%) who received cefuroxime had a quantifiable level of antibiotic in their discs although therapeutic serum levels of cefuroxime were found in all ten patients. Our results show that cefuroxime does not diffuse into human intervertebral discs as readily as gentamicin. It is possible that the charge due to ionisable groups on the antibiotics can influence the penetration of the antibiotics. We therefore recommend the use of gentamicin in a single prophylactic dose for all spinal procedures in order to reduce the risk of discitis.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A new technique for superior hypogastric plexus block: the posteromedian transdiscal approach.

Superior hypogastric plexus block has been advocated for the treatment of cancer related pelvic pain. Neurolysis is usually established using the classical posterolateral approach in the prone position, in which correct placement of the needle is sometimes difficult due to vertebral anatomy and the patient's inability to lie prone. We describe an alternative posteromedian transdiscal approach under fluoroscopic guidance for the treatment of intractable pelvic pain in three patients, in whom the classical approach was not possible. The L5-S1 interdiscal space was identified with fluoroscopy. The needle was then introduced through the disc and advanced under lateral fluoroscopic control. After verifying correct needle placement, neurolysis was performed with 8 ml of 10% phenol solution. All patients had significant pain relief immediately after the block, lasting from 6 to 12 months, and their pain severity scores and opioid consumption were reduced by more than 50%. There were no complications such as discitis, disc rupture or nerve injury. Since this new posteromedian transdiscal approach provides easy access to the superior hypogastric plexus with a single puncture and with any patient position, it may be an alternative to the classical approach.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Perioperative complications of anterior procedures on the spine.

We reviewed the operative and hospital records of 447 patients in order to determine the rates of perioperative complications associated with an anterior procedure on the thoracic, thoracolumbar, or lumbar spine. The anterior procedures were performed to treat spinal deformity or for débridement or decompression of the spinal canal. The diagnostic groups that we studied included idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents or young adults (100 patients), scoliosis in mature adults (sixty-three patients), kyphosis (sixty-one patients), neuromuscular scoliosis (sixty patients), fracture (forty-seven patients), a revision procedure (thirty-nine patients), congenital scoliosis (thirty-six patients), tumor (nineteen patients), vertebral osteomyelitis or discitis (eight patients), and miscellaneous (fourteen patients). Complications occurred in 140 (31 per cent) of the 447 patients and were classified as major or minor. Forty-seven patients (11 per cent) had at least one major complication and 109 (24 per cent) had at least one minor complication. Two patients died, both from pulmonary complications after the operation. The most common type of major complication was pulmonary; the most common type of minor complication was genito-urinary. The adolescent or young adult patients who had idiopathic scoliosis had the lowest rate of complications, and the patients who had neuromuscular scoliosis had the highest. An age of more than sixty years at the time of the operation was associated with a higher risk of complications. The duration of the procedures involving a thoracic approach was shorter than that of those involving a thoracolumbar or lumbar approach; however, the rate of complications was not significantly different among the three approaches. Vertebrectomies took longer to perform and were associated with a greater estimated blood loss than discectomies; however, there was no significant difference in the rate of complications between the two types of procedures. The patients who had a fracture or a tumor lost more blood than those from the other diagnostic groups. Blood loss increased as the duration of the operation increased for all procedures. Combined anterior and posterior procedures performed during the same anesthesia session were associated with a higher rate of major complications than were procedures that were staged. A logistical regression analysis showed that the variables that increased the risk of a major complication were an estimated blood loss of more than 520 milliliters and an anterior and posterior procedure performed sequentially under the same anesthesia session. This analysis also demonstrated that the diagnosis of idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents or young adults was associated with a reduced risk of major complications. Compared with other major operations, an anterior procedure on the thoracic, thoracolumbar, or lumbar spine performed for the indications mentioned in this study is relatively safe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Infections in neurosurgery: using laboratory data to plan optimal treatment strategies.

Laboratory services contribute to the management of patients with neurosurgical infections in a variety of ways and, in so doing, increase the likelihood of a favourable outcome. Microbiology laboratories and clinical microbiologists are able to confirm the diagnosis, identify the causative agents and facilitate optimal antimicrobial therapy. Other pathology specialties perform investigations which help neurosurgeons to differentiate between postoperative aseptic and bacterial meningitis, these disease processes being indistinguishable on clinical grounds. A broad range of variables have been evaluated to date, but only the lactate and interleukin-1beta concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid have been shown to have sufficiently high sensitivities and specificities to be useful for this purpose. In preliminary studies measurement of the serum C-reactive protein concentration has been shown to be an effective criterion for monitoring the response to antibacterial therapy in patients with spinal extradural abscesses, postoperative discitis, brain abscesses and subdural empyemas, thereby enabling patients to be treated successfully with courses of these drugs that are markedly shorter than those currently recommended.

Bacterial Infections↗