title: Epidural involvement in nontuberculous disk space infections. Incidence by magnetic resonance imaging, impact and prognosis.
abstract: Eleven of 25 patients admitted for nontuberculous disk space infections had magnetic resonance imaging evidence of epidural infection. No differences were found between the 11 patients with and the 14 patients without epidural infection regarding time to diagnosis, height of fever, presence of nerve root pain, presence of prespinal and/or paraspinal abscesses and proportion of cases due to Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrobial therapy alone ensured a full recovery with no neurological sequelae in most cases, suggesting that presence of epidural sepsis does not affect the prognosis of nontuberculous disk space infections.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Department (1), Angers Teaching Hospital, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pascaretti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Legrand
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Degasne
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bregeon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Audran
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D004824:Epidural Space / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae