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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · J Neurol Surg Rep 2024; 85(02): e29-e38
DOI: 10.1055/a-2267-1810
Case Report

Acute Paraplegia Caused by Spinal Epidural Empyema Following Infectious Cellulitis of the Hand: Case Report and Literature Review

Breno Nery
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Cláudio Brandão Filho
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Universitary Center Unifacisa, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil
,
Lucas Nunes
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Eduardo Quaggio
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Fred Bernardes Filho
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Joaquim Alencar Neto
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Layssa Rhossana Melo
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Anna Carolyne Oliveira
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Rafael Rabello
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Victoria Rodrigues Durand
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Rayssa Rocha Silva
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
Rafael Emmanuel Costa
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
,
José Alencar Segundo
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Abstract

Background Spinal epidural abscess is a rare but serious condition that can cause spinal cord compression and neurological deficits.

Case Description and Methods The article reports a case of a 31-year-old patient who presented with an infectious cellulitis in the left hand, which progressed to a spinal epidural abscess. The diagnosis was confirmed by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment involved laminectomy, after which the patient had complete recovery of neurological deficits. This article is a case report with a literature review. Patient data and images were collected by the researchers who participated in the patient's care. The literature was reviewed by one of the researchers based on the search for articles in the PubMed database. For the research, the following keywords were inserted: “Spinal epidural empyema,” “Spinal epidural abscess.”

Conclusion Spinal epidural abscess is often underdiagnosed, which can lead to delays in treatment and serious complications. The relationship between cellulitis and spinal epidural abscess may be related to the spread of infection through the lymphatic or blood system.

Keywords

infectious cellulitis - spinal epidural abscess - paraplegia - case report - review


Publication History

Received: 04 July 2023

Accepted: 14 January 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
13 February 2024

Article published online:
08 April 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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