Pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis: a unique case with atypical clinical course.
METHODS
A case report.


OBJECTIVE
To report and discuss a case of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis in a previously healthy 51-year-old immunocompetent woman who presented with acute onset lower back pain.


BACKGROUND
To the authors' knowledge, pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis in an immunocompetent person with no other predisposing factor has not been reported previously.


METHODS
The patient was diagnosed to have pneumococcal meningitis 10 days after the onset of acute and severe lower back pain. Significant improvement of clinical symptoms from meningitis was achieved with appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Lumbar CT and MRI scans were performed on persistence of fever and lower back pain. Loss of height and peridiscal inflammation at L3-L4 and epidural and bilateral psoas abscesses were detected.


RESULTS
Diagnosis of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis was established after evaluation of the material obtained from CT-guided aspiration of the psoas abscess and biopsy of the L3 body. With appropriate antimicrobial treatment, the patient's complaints resolved completely.


CONCLUSIONS
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis.
Poyanli
A
A
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Göztepe SSK Educational Hospital, Kadiköy, Istanbul, Turkey. aopoyanli@superonline.com
Poyanli
O
O
Akan
K
K
Sencer
S
S
D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008581:Meningitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D002511:Cephalosporins; D002443:Ceftriaxone