Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, particularly meningitis, is the most severe form of tuberculous infection. Parenchymal CNS involvement can occur in the form of tuberculoma or, more rarely, abscess. Although surgery was initially advocated as the mainstay of therapy, more recent evidence suggests that parenchymal forms of CNS tuberculosis can be cur...

OBJECT Surgical site infection (SSI) is a morbid complication with high cost in spine surgery. In this era of health care reforms, adjuvant therapies that not only improve quality but also decrease cost are considered of highest value. The authors introduced local application of vancomycin powder into their practice of posterior spinal fusion for spine trauma and undertook this study to determi...

A case of rhythmic myoclonus affecting only the lower part of the body is described. This occurred as an acute self-limiting illness. The changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) suggested a viral infection. Clinical and electrophysiological findings indicated that the involuntary movements were arising at spinal level and were independent of suprasegmental influences. There are few previously ...

Pain is classically viewed as being mediated solely by neurons, as are other sensory phenomena. The discovery that spinal cord glia (microglia and astrocytes) amplify pain requires a change in this view. These glia express characteristics in common with immune cells in that they respond to viruses and bacteria, releasing proinflammatory cytokines, which create pathological pain. These spinal co...

Spinal epidural abscess is rare but serious medical condition which may cause permanent neurological deficits, or even death, if not treated. Staphylococcus aureus is the responsible microorganism in most spinal abscess cases. However, rarely other microorganisms like Brucella may be responsible. Brucellosis, a zoonotic infection endemic in the Mediterranean Region, Middle East; and South and C...

A 77-year-old male underwent L-1 to S-1 spine decompression and fusion from L-3 to S-1. A 25 G spinal catheter was placed intraoperatively and bupivacaine 1.25 mg/ml, fentanyl 2 microg/ml and morphine 3 microg/ml infused. The patient was pain-free for the duration of the infusion. Continuous spinal analgesia was effective after extensive spinal surgery. The risks of post-dural puncture headache...

OBJECTIVE To describe our experience in treating esophageal and pharyngeal perforation after anterior cervical spine surgery. METHODS Six patients with esophageal injury and one patient with pharyngeal injury after anterior cervical spinal surgery, managed at our department between 2000 and 2015, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS During the study period, 7 patients (6 male and 1 female...

THE ASSOCIATION of psoas abscess with tuberculosis of the spine or sacroiliac joints is well recognized and occurs in about a fifth of such cases (Mercer & Duthie, 1964). It has long been known that psoas abscess may also occur without evidence of spinal disease, when it is often not of tuberculous origin. Mynter (1881) described cases of 'acute psoitis', and of the seven psoas abscesses withou...

©2005 British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery doi:10.1302/0301-620X.87B11. 16294 $2.00 J Bone Joint Surg [Br] 2005;87-B:1454-8. The axial skeleton accounts for 2% to 7% of all cases of osteomyelitis. 1-3 Predisposing factors include diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, substance abuse, HIV infection, malignancy, the long-term use of steroids, renal failure and septicaemia. 4-8 Protein m...

The incidence of surgical site infection and urinary tract infection following orthopaedic procedures has diminished in recent years due to modern antimicrobial prophylaxis. We conducted a case-control study (100 cases, 100 controls) in order to evaluate the risk factors associated with infection after orthopaedic procedures. The following risk factors were defined: gender, age, comorbidities [...