Spontaneous Cervical Paraspinal and Epidural Giant Abscess in a Child-Case Report-
- 1 January 2005
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Japan Neurosurgical Society in Neurologia medico-chirurgica
- Vol. 45 (10) , 540-542
- https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.45.540
Abstract
A 10-year-old girl presented with a very rare paraspinal and spinal epidural abscess manifesting as fever, and neck pain and stiffness. Initially, she was treated under a diagnosis of meningitis for 3 weeks. However, she developed monoparesis of the right upper extremity, and was referred for neurosurgery. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural and paraspinal lesion intensely enhanced by gadolinium. The patient underwent urgent surgery for C2-3 laminectomy and abscess drainage, followed by broad spectrum antibiotic therapy. She was discharged and followed up in the outpatient clinic. Two months later, the paraspinal abscess recurred with great increase in size. A second operation was performed and 150 ml pus was drained. Streptococcus anginosus was grown in the culture. The patient fully recovered after long-term targeted antibiotic therapy. Such abscesses are very rare in children, especially in the cervical region. The correct diagnosis can be difficult to establish but early treatment is essential for a good prognosis.Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- The role of 67Ga in the early detection of spinal epidural abscessesNuclear Medicine Communications, 2000
- Spinal Abscess of Haemophilus ParaphrophilusSpine, 1997
- Lumbar Facet Joint Infection Associated With Epidural and Paraspinal AbscessPublished by Wolters Kluwer Health ,1997
- Epidural abscess as a complication of coronary angioplasty: A rare but dangerous complicationCatheterization and Cardiovascular Diagnosis, 1994
- Spinal Epidural Abscess: An Elusive DiagnosisSouthern Medical Journal, 1994
- Spinal epidural abscess in the pediatric age groupThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 1993
- Epidural abscess of the cervical spine: MR findings in five cases.American Journal of Roentgenology, 1992
- Diagnosis of anterior cervical spinal epidural abscess by US and MRI in a newbornPediatric Radiology, 1991
- Paraplegia caused by spinal epidural abscessPostgraduate Medical Journal, 1988
- Spinal epidural abscessClinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 1987