Lumbar spondylodiscitis in SAPHO syndrome: multimodality imaging findings.
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Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus (C. fetus) is a gram-negative, curved, rod-shaped microaerophile, occasionally may cause meningitis or meningoencephalitis in humans. This report documents the case of 49-year-old man with lumbar spondylodiscitis and meningoencephalitis caused by C. fetus infection. On admission, the patient was delirious and severe inflammatory reactions were seen in his serum. Cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) revealed normal glucose concentration and moderate mononuclear leukocytosis. Campylobacter species, which was very difficult to be identified, was cultured from the blood and CSF. During his clinical course, the patient complained of severe back pain, and lumbar MRI showed low intensity in a T1-weighed image of the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and high intensity in a T2-weighed image of the L4-5 disc. The patient was diagnosed with spondylodiscitis caused by C. fetus infection. Meningoencephalitis may have occurred as a secondary infection. Antibiotics were administered, and the patient's condition improved. To our knowledge, only a few cases of spondylodiscitis caused by C. fetus have been reported. A CSF glucose concentration in the normal range and mononuclear leukocytosis are atypical findings in patients with pyogenic meningitis. Therefore, neurologists must be fully aware of the possible symptoms and signs of C. fetus infection.
Inflammation of spinal structures is a characteristic feature of the spondyloarthritides (SpA). The term SpA covers patients with inflammatory back pain and/or peripheral arthritis who can be further categorized. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the prototype of the SpA, the most frequent inflammatory spinal disease in adults, usually starts in the sacroiliac joints. Pathologic spinal changes occurring in AS are spondylitis, spondylodiscitis and inflammation and ankylosis also at other sites in the axial skeleton. In the later stages of AS such changes can be well recognized by spinal x-rays. In the early disease stages it has been more difficult to analyze the exact anatomic localization of spinal inflammation to date, because conventional imaging systems have only a limited capacity to demonstrate such changes early. There is some evidence that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with fat saturation and contrast enhanced MRI are useful to visualize early and late inflammatory changes in the sacroiliac joints. In this paper we report that MRI is also useful to localize the site of inflammation to distinct regions of the spine in AS and other SpA.
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We report a case of spondylodiscitis and psoas abscess induced by transrectal ultrasound-guided prostatic biopsy in a 70-year-old man. Multi-resistant E. coli was cultured, and the patient was cured after several trials with antibiotic treatments.
Three patients, two women aged 78 and 70 years, respectively, and a man aged 71 years, had back pain for months. Fever was absent. Blood parameters of infection were slightly or highly elevated. The diagnosis of spondylodiscitis was confirmed by MRI in all three patients. In one patient tuberculosis was confirmed by culture. One patient was from Turkey and the other two patients had been exposed professionally to tuberculosis. On two occasions, spondylodiscitis was complicated by compression of the spinal cord, and surgical intervention was necessary on one occasion because of neurological deficit. Initial treatment consisted of long-term bed rest and antituberculous therapy. All three patients recovered successfully. Tuberculous spondylodiscitis is a rare cause of back pain, but should be included in the differential diagnosis, particularly if there is an increased risk based on the medical history or if the patient comes from an endemic region or has an increased risk due to his or her profession.
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Between 1988 and 2001, five patients with mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta underwent surgery. Extra-anatomical reconstruction with axillo-bifemoral bypass grafting was performed in all patients. The hospital mortality rate was 20%. During the follow-up period two patients presented thrombosis of the axillo-bifemoral bypass, descending aorto-bifemoral bypass was performed in one. Extra-anatomic revascularization is a satisfactory procedure in the treatment of mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm. The results are acceptable and the prognosis is mainly related to the underlying pathology and the severity of the infection.
One week after a fall from his buggy, a 2-year-old boy was seen at the first-aid department because he refused to walk. A bone scan and MRI revealed spondylodiscitis at the left side of the discus Liv-Lv and a psoas abscess.
Neck pain can occur in several circumstances: traumatic, spontaneous, associated or not with motion, with or without head or upper limb irradiations. Each case requires appropriate clinical examination and radiographs. CT and MRI can be used to obtain additional information. Myelography and arteriography are exceptionally used. Cervical discography and facet joint arthrography are used therapeutically. After a brief anatomical review, normal and pathological patterns will be reviewed using radiographs. Each circumstance is studied: traumatic, degenerative, inflammatory and tumoral. It is emphasized that discogenic cervico-brachial neuralgia usually has a favorable spontaneous outcome. A special chapter is dedicated to calcifying and ossifying diseases of the cervical spine. Cervico-occipital neuralgia is also discussed.
Complications following lumbar spine surgery are reported to occur in 15 to 30% of cases. Acute postsurgical complications (hematoma, infection.) require urgent imaging. Imaging of recurrent pain following lumbar surgery, often with a clinical presentation that is poorly specific in nature, is sometimes difficult. Selection of the initial imaging technique must simplify the diagnostic work-up. Because of its high contrast resolution, pre- and postcontrast MRI is the most effective imaging technique. Noncontrast CT may be added to facilitate detection of bony abnormalities. Diskography with post-diskogram CT can be added as well in patients with discordant results at clinical and imaging work up. The main causes of failed back syndrome are recurrent disk herniation (usually easily diagnosed), postsurgical granulation tissue/epidural fibrosis (diagnosed based on imaging) and central or lateral bony spinal stenosis. Spondylodiskitis, arachnoiditis and pseudomeningocele are other less frequent etiologies.
We evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of the long-term administration of levofloxacin in osteoarticular infections. For this purpose, 50 patients were included during the years 1999 to 2001 on an initial estimation to be under treatment with this antibiotic for at least 4 weeks. Forty six percent (46%) of patients were male and received treatment during a mean-time of 122.8 days. In forty one of a total of forty nine evaluable patients (83.7%) outcome was considered satisfactory with a total recovery or improvement of disease. Clinical and analytical series of examinations were performed, with no significant abnormalities being observed. Five (5) patients presented a total of 7 adverse events: gastrointestinal intolerance (3), oral mycosis (1), petechia (1), parestesia (1) and pruriginous rash(1). Only in three cases interruption of therapy was considered necessary. In conclusion, levofloxacin presents an adequate efficacy and is a well-tolerated therapy; both characteristics make it an appropriate treatment for those infections that require long-term therapy.
We describe a case of TBC spinal column infection complicated by vertebral abscesses in an immigrant teenager. We underline the importance of always suspecting a tubercular illness when fever has unknown origins, and when patients come from countries where TBC is still endemic. We reaffirm, for early and accurate diagnosis, the importance of abdominal echography and spinal tomography.
UNLABELLED: Aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of non operative spondylodiskitis (SD) in our geographic area. METHODS: We evaluated retrospectively epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological features of patients with non operative SD observed between 1990 and 2001 in our department of the "D. Cotugno" hospital - Naples. RESULTS: Eighteen patients with diagnosis of SD were evaluated. Etiologic agent was identified in 17 patients: M. tuberculosis in 5, brucella spp. in 4 and pyogenic bacteria in 8. Ten patients had underlying diseases or risk factors (4 diabetes mellitus, 3 arthrosis, 1 CRF, 1 IVDA and 2 previous back trauma). Symptoms preceded observation between 2 days and 12 months (median value 15 days). Seventeen patients presented fever, 13 back pain, 6 meningitis, 3 were comatous and 2 had severe sepsis. Ten patients showed high white blood cells count with granulocyte prevalence. Eritrosedimentation rate or C reactive protein were elevated in all patients. Diagnosis was confirmed in 8 patients only with radiographs of the spine, while 3 needed a CT and 11 a RMN imaging. Antimicrobial therapy was perfomed for at least 6 months in patients with brucellosis, 12 months in patients with tuberculosis and 2 months in patients with pyogenic SD. Persistent neurological deficit were observed in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological deficit may be avoid in patients affected by SD only with a carefull diagnosis and an accurate antibiotic therapy.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.