title: An unusual case infection following spinal surgery.
abstract: A case of extensive subcutaneous inflammation infection four months after a spinal operation is presented. The patient had had an extensive laminectomy and foraminotomy for lumbar canal stenosis and protruded discs at L3/L4 and L4/L5 levels. Four months postoperatively, bilateral gluteal abscesses developed and were treated by surgical evacuation. Three months after the evacuation of the abscesses, extensive inflammation and purulent infiltration of the laminectomy wound together with recurrence of the gluteal abscesses were noticed. In spite of reevacuation of the abscesses the inflammation persisted. A syringography disclosed communication of the gluteal abscesses with the laminectomy wound. Eventually this complication was treated by surgical reexploration of the laminectomy wound, during which it was found that the inflammation, although longstanding, did not spread to the intervertebral spaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of B Neurosurgical, Medical School, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsitsopoulos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsonidis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tzardinoglu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tavridis
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents