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

Breno Nery; Cláudio Brandão Filho; Lucas Nunes; Eduardo Quaggio; Fred Bernardes Filho; Joaquim Alencar Neto; Layssa Rhossana Melo; Anna Carolyne Oliveira; Rafael Rabello; Victoria Rodrigues Durand; Rayssa Rocha Silva; Rafael Emmanuel Costa; José Alencar Segundo

doi:10.1055/a-2267-1810

Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports, Table of Contents

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

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Cláudio Brandão Filho

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

²Department of Neurosurgery, Universitary Center Unifacisa, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil

,

Lucas Nunes

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Eduardo Quaggio

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Fred Bernardes Filho

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Joaquim Alencar Neto

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Layssa Rhossana Melo

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Anna Carolyne Oliveira

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Rafael Rabello

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Victoria Rodrigues Durand

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Rayssa Rocha Silva

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

Rafael Emmanuel Costa

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

,

José Alencar Segundo

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Beneficiência Portuguesa de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

› Author Affiliations

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

Full Text

References

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