• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.88-99
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• 2021

Objective : The treatment of choice for spinal epidural abscess (SEA) generally is urgent surgery in combination with intravenous antibiotic treatment. However, the optimal duration of antibiotic treatment has not been established to date, although 4-8 weeks is generally advised. Moreover, some researchers have reported that bacteremia is a risk factor for failure of antibiotic treatment in SEA. In this study, we investigated the clinical characteristics of SEA accompanied by bacteremia and also determined whether the conventional 4-8 weeks of antibiotic treatment is sufficient. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and radiological data of 23 patients with bacterial SEA who underwent open surgery from March 2010 to April 2020. All patients had bacteremia preoperatively and underwent weeks of perioperative antibiotic treatments based on their identified organisms until all symptoms of infection disappeared. All patients underwent microbiological studies of peripheral blood, specimens from SEA and concomitant infections. The mean follow-up duration was 35.2 months, excluding three patients who died. Results : The male : female ratio was 15 : 8, and the mean age was 68.9 years. The SEA most commonly involved the lumbar spinal segment (73.9%), and the mean size was 2.9 vertebral body lengths. Mean time periods of 8.4 days and 16.6 days were required from admission to diagnosis and from admission to surgery, respectively. Concomitant infections more frequently resulted in delayed diagnosis (p=0.032), masking the symptoms of SEA. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly identified pathogen in both blood and surgical specimens. Seventeen patients (73.9%) showed no deficits at the final follow-up. The overall antibiotic treatment duration was a mean of 66.6 days, excluding three patients who died. This duration was longer than the conventionally advised 4-8 weeks (p=0.010), and psoas or paraspinal abscess required prolonged duration of antibiotic treatment (p=0.038). Conclusion : SEA accompanied by bacteremia required a longer duration (>8 weeks) of antibiotic treatment. In addition, the diagnosis was more frequently delayed in patients with concomitant infections. The duration of antibiotic treatment should be extended for SEA with bacteremia, and a high index of suspicion is mandatory for early diagnosis, especially in patients with concomitant infections.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2014

Renal and perinephric abscesses are a rare but potentially fatal complication of urinary tract infection (UTI). Diagnosing renal and perinephric abscesses has been known to be difficult. These abscesses may occur when the appropriate antibiotic treatment for a UTI is delayed, or in cases with a congenital malformation of the urinary system, especially in children. In the present report, we describe 2 cases of renal abscesses with extra-capsular invasion in children with febrile UTI. A 4-month-old male infant with vesicoureteral reflux developed a renal abscess that infiltrated the perinephric area and the left psoas muscle, despite early antibiotic treatment. A 9-year-old boy with prolonged fever also showed a multi-loculated renal abscess that infiltrated the spleen and diaphragm. Both patients were successfully treated with appropriate antibiotics and percutaneous drainage.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.67-70
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• 2023

Vaccines can cause adverse reactions, such as soreness, swelling, or redness at the injection site. Some reactions are associated with fever and rash, which are usually mild and transient, and serious side effects are rare. In particular, there are no reports of systemic infection following a COVID-19 vaccination. The authors present a case report of a patient who developed multiple abscesses caused by Staphylococcus aureus after a COVID-19 vaccination. The patient had no previous symptoms or signs of infection. The patient was controlled successfully after surgical and antibiotics treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.383-385
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• 1995

Postpuncture headache is the most common complication of epidural block, others include abscission of the tip of catheter, epidural abscess and subarachnoid infection, etc. A 69-year-old female patient visited the Neuro-Pain Clinic of Seran General Hospital for treatment of lower back pain and both sciatica. She received continuous epidural block, psoas compartment block, lumbar facet joint block and lumbar facet thermocoagulation. During the epidural block procedure the dura was accidently punctured and auto-logous blood patch was performed. Three days later, she manifested fever, nausea, vomiting, mild neck stiffness and mental deterioration. Meningitis was suspected as the cause of these signs. The CSF study reported: protein 400 mg/dl, sugar 14 mg/dl, WBC $468/mm^3$. She was recovered from the meningitis after adequate antibiotic therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 2020

A 68-year-old man presented with a bed sore with pus discharge on lower back. Radiographs showed extensive destruction of the L4 vertebral body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed fluid collection with an enhanced wall at the defect of the L4 vertebral body extending into both psoas muscles. The primary diagnosis was neuropathic spondylopathy, but infective spondylitis was not ruled out. Initially, he was treated with antibiotics for two weeks. A follow-up MRI showed no improvement of the abscess, so surgical exploration was done. Charcot spinal arthropathy resulted in extensive vertebral body destruction that may be similar to infectious spondylitis, particularly in the case with fluid accumulation due to rupture of dura.