Epidural abscess in infancy is very rare and has non-specific features, requiring very careful attention and early diagnosis. We present a case of a 3-month-old girl in which the diagnosis of spontaneous cervical epidural abscess developed after an initial episode of acute enterocolitis and was subsequently identified at a later visit to the emergency department for right-upper extremity hypoto...

We report a case of spinal intradural abscess which shows serial changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Well-encapsulated, rim-enhancing lesion with mass effect was visualized at ventral side of lumbar spinal canal on 17 days after initial negative MRI, which was thought to be epidural abscess. It was revealed to be intradural in location on operation and successfully treated by drainage ...

Acute cauda equina syndrome secondary to a spinal epidural abscess as a result of a psoas abscess is very uncommon. We report the case of a 64-year old with a 6-day history of left hip pain, which progressively worsened until she presented to the emergency department with systemic infective symptoms and classical acute cauda equina syndrome. A good clinical outcome was achieved by urgent poster...

Acute adult primary cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis and discitis are usually treated with surgery and antibiotics, particularly for cases demonstrating neurological deficit. Here we report a case of acute adult primary cervical pyogenic discitis with the formation of epidural abscess treated with antibiotics alone. A 36-year-old male presented with neck and bilateral upper limb pain for 6 da...

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium abscessus is a member of the Rapidly Growing Mycobacterium (RGM). The incidence of Mycobacterium abscessus infections has steadily been increasing over the last decade. We report the case of an epidural abscess caused by Mycobacterium abscessus. RGM's have infrequently been reported as spinal infections and we found no prior cases reporting M. abscessus as the definitiv...

INTRODUCTION Although Brucella spondylitis and Brucella discitis have been frequently reported, Brucella infection of the vertebral arch is rare and has not been previously described. We present the first case of Brucella infection of the thoracic vertebral arch with epidural abscess formation and discuss the clinical key points. CASE PRESENTATION A 57-year-old man of Han nationality with a h...

A 60-year-old woman complained of low back pain radiating to both buttocks and to the anterior aspect of the left thigh. MRI showed a left posterolateral epidural mass at the L1-L2 level. An epidural abscess was suspected, but the biochemistry was normal. Excision yielded complete relief of symptoms. Pathological examination demonstrated that the specimen was a migrated disc fragment. The autho...

OBJECTIVES To remind clinicians of the dangers of delayed diagnosis and the importance of early treatment of spinal epidural abscess. METHODS A review of the literature on spinal epidural abscess and a comparison of the published literature with local experience. RESULTS Imaging with MRI or CT enables early diagnosis of spinal epidural abcess and optimal therapy is surgical evacuation combi...

Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus predisposes to a range of different and unusual infections, including epidural and psoas abscesses. However, they occur mainly in adults with longstanding diabetes. We report the case of a 12 year old boy who presented with diabetic ketoacidosis and low back pain, and was subsequently diagnosed with both a left psoas abscess and an extensive thoracolumbar spi...

We report a case of spontaneous spinal epidural abscess (SEA) with initial chief complaint of shoulder pain and no appreciable neurologic symptoms. Since outcomes of SEA appear to be related to the degree of neurologic deficit at the time of intervention, we explore opportunities for earlier diagnosis.