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PubMed2004

Single-stage debridement and instrumentation for pyogenic spinal infections.

Surgical intervention is indicated for pyogenic vertebral discitis and osteomyelitis in patients in whom medical therapy has failed, and in those with neurological compromise, mechanical instability, epidural abscess, or intractable pain. Surgical management has evolved to include single-stage operations for debridement and stabilization as well as more aggressive reconstruction strategies with respect to instrumentation. A review of the literature demonstrates excellent outcomes with single-stage operations and placement of hardware wherever it is required. Using this method, the authors have treated 16 patients without a single incidence of recurrent infection or hardware failure after almost 2 years of follow up.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2007

Corpectomy followed by the placement of instrumentation with titanium cages and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 for vertebral osteomyelitis.

OBJECT: The treatment of vertebral osteomyelitis includes antibiotics with or without surgical intervention. The decision to place instrumentation into an infected spinal column remains controversial. The use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in patients with osteomyelitis is also extremely controversial. The authors review their experience in performing corpectomy and fusion with titanium cages and rhBMP-2 in patients with vertebral instability and/or neurological compromise due to vertebral osteomyelitis. METHODS: Data obtained in 15 patients treated between 2001 and 2005 were included in this analysis. Nine patients presented primarily with axial pain and six with radiculopathy or myelopathy. Seven patients had an associated epidural abscess. The cervical spine was affected in six patients, the thoracic spine in five, and the lumbar spine in four. All patients underwent corpectomy of the involved vertebral bodies; the authors then performed spinal reconstruction, placing a titanium cage-plate system with morcellized allograft/autograft and rhBMP-2. In 10 patients, supplemental posterolateral screw-rod fixation was conducted. A one-level corpectomy was performed in one patient, a two-level corpectomy in 13, and a six-level corpectomy in one. A morcellized allograft and rhBMP-2-filled titanium cage was used in 10 patients, and an autograft and rhBMP-2-filled cage in five patients. The most common pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus. All patients received intravenous antibiotics for at least 6 weeks postoperatively, and life-long antibiotic therapy was required in three patients with coccidiomycoses, candida, and tuberculosis osteomyelitis, respectively. There were no recurrent infections. Radiography demonstrated evidence of fusion in all patients at the last follow-up examination. The mean follow-up period was 20 months. CONCLUSIONS: Corpectomy followed by titanium cage-plate reconstruction and the placement of rhBMP-2 may be a safe and effective treatment for selected patients with vertebral osteomyelitis. This surgical therapy does not appear, at least based on preliminary results, to lead to recurrent hardware infections. Based on the results obtained in this limited series, the authors found that rhBMP-2 can be used in the setting of active infection with excellent fusion rates and without complication. The morbidity associated with the autograft donor site is avoided when using cages. Antibiotic therapy tailored to the specific organism should be continued for at least 6 weeks after surgery, and life-long therapy is required in cases of fungal or tuberculosis infections.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Upper cervical myelopathy due to arachnoiditis and spinal cord tethering from adjacent C-2 osteomyelitis. Case report and review of the literature.

Myelopathy caused by a spinal cord infection is typically related to an adjacent compressive lesion such as an epidural abscess. The authors report a case of progressive high cervical myelopathy from spinal cord tethering caused by arachnoiditis related to an adjacent C-2 osteomyelitis. This 70-year-old woman initially presented with a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis involving the C-2 odontoid process. She was treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy but, over the course of 4 weeks, she developed progressive quadriparesis. A magnetic resonance image revealed near-complete resolution of the C-2 osteomyelitis, but new ventral tethering of the cord was observed at the level of the odontoid tip. She subsequently underwent open surgical decompression and cord detethering. Postoperatively she experienced improvement in her symptoms and deficits, which continued to improve 1 year after her surgery. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of progressive upper cervical myelopathy due to arachnoiditis and cord tethering from an adjacent methicillin-sensitive S. aureus C-2 osteomyelitis.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A case of hypersensitivity syndrome to both vancomycin and teicoplanin.

Drug hypersensitivity syndrome to both vancomycin and teicoplanin has not been previously reported. We describe here a 50-yr-old male patient with vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess who developed hypersensitivity syndrome to both vancomycin and teicoplanin. Skin rash, fever, eosinophilia, interstitial pneumonitis, and interstitial nephritis developed following the administration of each drug, and resolved after withdrawing the drugs and treating with high dose corticosteroids. The vertebral osteomyelitis was successfully treated with 6-week course of linezolid without further complications. Skin patch tests for vancomycin and teicoplanin was done 2 months after the recovery; a weak positive result for vancomycin (10% aq.,+at D2 and +at D4 with erythema and vesicles; ICDRG scale), and a doubtful result for teicoplanin (4% aq.-at D2 and+/-at D4 with macular erythema; ICDRG scale). We present this case to alert clinicians to the hypersensitivity syndrome that can result from vancomycin and teicoplanin, with possible cross-reactivity, which could potentially be life-threatening.

Drug Combinations↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computerised tomographic detection of intracranial complications of paranasal sinus infections.

Ninety-four patients were referred for CT examination of the paranasal sinuses within a five year period. Only 11 (11.7%) of them had intracranial complications. These include cerebral, subdural and epidural abscesses, frontal bone osteomyelitis. The maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses were mostly involved and can be implicated as the sinogenic causes of intracranial infections. Sphenoidal sinus was not involved in any of the patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Tuberculous spondylitis complicated by spinal disorders: diagnosis and treatment].

Complex diagnosis using additional radiation procedures (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) for tuberculous spondylitis complicated by spinal disorders was made in 52 patients. It made the genesis of spinal cord disorders more clear. The genesis was due to epidural abscess, necrotic osseous tissue and bony compression of destroyed vertebrae. Spinal cord structural changes were detectable in the postoperative period. Hemosorption in combination with blood ultraviolet radiation was used in 25 (40%) patients for their indications, which allowed all the patients to be operated on. Surgical treatment of 60 patients by using radical interventions into the target site and extended corporolateral decompression of the spinal cord, by employing autograft spondylolodesis resulted in rehabilitation in 95% of cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Pyogenic and non-pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis: descriptive and comparative study of a series of 40 cases].

BACKGROUND: To describe the features of vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) in our area, and to compare pyogenic VO (PVO) and non-pyogenic VO (NPVO). METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with VO diagnosed in our hospital between january 1992 and december 1998. RESULTS: We identify 40 patients with VO: 17 (42.5%) with tuberculous VO, 12 (30%) with PVO, 10 (25%) with brucellar VO and 1 (2.5%) with a VO caused by Candida albicans. The mean age was 52.9 years, and 75% of patients were male. Only a 20% of cases had a known immunosuppression. Fever/febricule was present in 55% of patients and vertebral pain in 95%. The more frequent locations were lumbar (67.5%) and dorsal (27.5%). One or more paravertebral or epidural abscesses were present in 67.5% of cases and spinal cord compression was present in 27.5%. An elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was present in 40% and leukocytosis in 27.5%. Sequelae after complete treatment occurred in 40% of patients, with residual vertebral pain in 37.5%. There was a shorter clinical course and a higher frequency of fever/febricule and leukocytosis in PVO than in NPVO. CONCLUSIONS: In our area the more frequent etiology of VO is tuberculosis. VO occurs predominantly in males older than 50 years, without known immunosuppression, and almost exclusively with lumbar or dorsal locations. The absence of fever/febricule, leukocytosis or elevated ESR do not exclude the diagnosis of VO. Sequelae after complete treatment are relatively frequent, fundamentally residual vertebral pain. There are some differences in the features between PVO and NPVO, which may aid in the differential diagnosis of both entities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Differences between tuberculous spondylitis and brucellar spondylitis].

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential differences in the clinical and laboratory characteristics between tuberculous spondylitis (TS) and brucellar spondylitis (BS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with TS and BS diagnosed in our hospital between january 1992 and december 1998. RESULTS: TS was diagnosed in 17 patients and BS in 10 patients. In our series, a higher delay in the diagnosis (27.9 +/- 24.6 vs. 16 +/- 5.6 weeks, p = 0.02) was found in TS. There was a higher frequency, but without stadistic significance, of immunosuppression, one or several paravertebral or epidural abscesses, spinal cord compression, anemia and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in TS, and a higher frequency of fever/febricule and residual vertebral pain in BS. Lumbar location was the most frequent in both groups (58.8% in TS and 70% in BS). CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that there were some differences in the clinical and laboratory characteristics between TS and BS which may be an aid in the differential diagnosis of both entities and orient the empirical treatment in these cases without a definitive microbiological diagnosis or while awaiting the diagnostic confirmation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Clinical and immunological features of tuberculous spondylitis].

The clinical and immunological features of tuberculous spondylitis are analyzed in adult patients. Based of the results of examination of 92 patients, the authors consider that all the patients may be arbitrarily divided into 2 groups according to the body's responsiveness and compensatory capacities. Group 1 patients have a 1-2 year history of tuberculosis, their T- and B-lymphocyte sensitization being less pronounced. These patients are compensatory, as evidenced by the high rate of formation of epidural abscess and by elevated central hemodynamic parameters. Group 2 patients are highly sensitized with tuberculous antigen in the T and B immunity systems. In these patients, the specific process is accompanied by a more pronounced spinal cord compression. At the same time, more steady-state central and peripheral hemodynamic parameters are indicative of the development of compensatory mechanisms just in these patients.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Intracranial complications of sinusitis: a 15-year review of 39 cases.

Despite improvements in antibiotic therapies and surgical techniques, sinusitis still carries a risk of serious and potentially fatal complications. We examined the charts of 82 patients who had been admitted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center between Jan. 1, 1985, and Dec. 31, 1999, for treatment of complications of sinusitis. Of these 82 patients, 43 had orbital complications and 39 had intracranial complications. In this article, we describe our findings in those patients who had intracranial complications (our findings in patients with orbital complications will be reported in a future article). The most common intracranial complication was meningitis; others were epidural abscess, subdural abscess, intracerebral abscess, Pott's puffy tumor, and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis. Most patients with meningitis were treated with drug therapy only; patients with abscesses were generally treated with intravenous antibiotics and drainage of the affected sinus and the abscess. Advancements in antibiotic therapy, endoscopic surgery, imaging studies, and computer-assisted surgery have helped improve outcomes. Management of these patients should be undertaken immediately and is best achieved via a multidisciplinary approach, involving the otolaryngologist, neurosurgeon, radiologist, anesthesiologist, infection disease specialist, pediatrician, internist, and others.

Brain Abscess↗
PubMed2004

[Anesthetic management with total intravenous anesthesia for a patient with previous history of acute myocarditis].

Myocarditis is often self-limited and without sequelae, most commonly the result of the viral infection. Recently it has been pointed out that there are some cases of myocarditis progressing to a chronic phase like dilated cardiomyopathy. Worsening congestive heart failure and findings of new electrocardiographic changes are the most catastrophic, sometimes fatal, perioperative events. We experienced a case of a 45-year-old woman with previous history of idiopathic acute cardiomyopathy for non-cardiac surgery. For electrocardiogram monitoring, a five-lead system to detect the intraoperative ischemic events was used to detect frequent ST-T-wave abnormalities. Reducing cardiac irritability and preventing infection are the main points for this anesthetic management. We gave general anesthesia, not combining with epidural anesthesia, to avoid epidural abscess which may cause recurrence of myocarditis. We employed total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) technique using propofol administration with TCI system and repetitive fentanyl injections. Propofol target concentration was titrated according to bispectral index (BIS) between 40-60. The patient emerged quite well within 20 minutes after discontinuing propofol. We could maintain hemodynamics stably and no severe adverse effects were observed perioperatively. Thus this anesthesia technique was safe and useful to maintain the hemodynamics stably in the case with previous history of idiopathic acute cardiomyopathy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Inflammation, infection, cavitary disorders, and ischemia.

Demyclinating lesions of the spinal cord, including multiple sclerosis as well as other less common diseases, probably represent the etiology of a substantial proportion of all idiopathic myelopathies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made major advances in the diagnosis and characterization of demyclinating disease. Infections of the spine may have severe consequences and, if detected early, are usually treatable processes. Osteomyelitis and epidural abscesses have characteristic imaging findings. Poor outcomes are more often due to delays in clinical presentation or the debilitated condition of the patients than to limitations in the accuracy of MRI diagnosis. Cavitary lesions of the spinal cord were among the first applications in which MRI proved its superiority to previously available techniques. Accurate diagnosis of these lesions involves detecting characteristics findings and relating these observations to the clinical history. Spinal cord infarction is relatively rare due to the extensively collateralized blood supply to the spinal canal. However, aortic aneurysms and the surgery for these lesions places the blood supply of the distal spinal cord and conus at risk. The syndrome of postoperative spinal cord infarction has characteristic clinical findings. However, MRI may contribute to distinguishing transient ischemia from true infarction and to predicting the severity of the final deficit.

Demyelinating Diseases↗
PubMed2005

Clinical characteristics of invasive Haemophilus aphrophilus infections.

Haemophilus aphrophilus, an oral fastidious Gram-negative commensal with low pathogenicity, is a member of the HACEK group (H. aphrophilus, H. paraphrophilus, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella spp.), and a rare cause of human infections. We reviewed the characteristics of 8 cases of H. aphrophilus infections diagnosed in our hospital from 1990-2003, and an additional 20 cases identified from the MEDLINE database, from 1990 to 2003. Their mean age was 47.4 years (range, 7-73 years), and 21 cases (75%) were male. The major manifestation was bone and joint infections (9 cases, 32%), including osteomyelitis, discitis, epidural abscess, spondylodiscitis, septic arthritis and prevertebral infection. Seven cases (25%) presented with infective endocarditis, involving native valves, and one underwent valvular replacement. Of note, 3 cases (10%) had ophthalmic infections (endophthalmitis in 2 cases and canaliculitis in 1), and 2 of them had previous ophthalmic procedures. Other manifestations included bacteremia, meningitis, brain abscess, cervical lymphadenitis, facial cellulitis, empyema, and purulent pericarditis and tamponade. All patients except 1 survived. Recent dental procedure was recalled by 11 cases (39%), and may be a predisposing factor for invasive H. aphrophilus infection. Appropriate antimicrobial therapy, such as a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor, ceftriaxone or cefotaxime or a fluoroquinolone, can lead to a favorable clinical outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Brucellosis with nervous system involvement].

Cases of brucellosis with involvement of the nervous system which was diagnosed in the Miguel Servet Hospital during the period 1985-1987 are retrospectively studied. The total quantity of affected patients of brucellosis was 132. Of this quantity, 9 patients (6.8%) had neurological complications under the following clinical forms: epidural abscess (2), meningoencephalitis (1), meningitis (2), encephalitis (1), myelitis (1) and polyradiculitis (2). The most important epidemiological and clinical characteristics are analysed, pointing out the diagnostic difficulties we found when the neurological manifestations are predominant in the brucella infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

MR of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the spine.

Magnetic resonance imaging is the study of choice in the evaluation of infectious and inflammatory disease of the spinal cord and spinal column. Not only is the multiplanar imaging a distinct advantage over other modalities, but direct visualization of the soft tissues, including the spinal cord, paraspinal musculature, and disk, is present. The sensitivity of MR, to evaluate infectious processes of the spine, especially when used with gadolinium, has been well documented. This article is an overview of the pathophysiology and MR appearance of various types of inflammation and infection of the spine. Subjects covered include disk space infections, epidural abscess, meningitis, arachnoiditis, and inflammatory mimics of disk space infections. Suggested imaging protocols are stated.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1991

Magnetic resonance imaging of spinal infection.

The findings on magnetic resonance imaging in various types of spinal infection are described, including disc space infection and osteomyelitis, epidural abscess, paraspinal abscesses, and meningitis. The characteristic appearance of spinal infection on both plain and gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance is contrasted with that of the normal spine.

Abscess↗