title: Reversible holocord edema associated with intramedullary spinal abscess secondary to an infected dermoid cyst.
abstract: We report a case of a holocord high-intensity lesion extending from L1 up to the medulla oblongata on T2-weighted spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) associated with an intramedullary spinal abscess secondary to an infected dermoid cyst. The intraoperative findings revealed that the high-intensity lesion on the T2-weighted image was edematous tissue. The MRI change in the spinal cord gradually improved in response to the use of postoperative antibiotics. The change was considered to represent reversible inflammatory changes, as there was no neurological deficit found at the cervical level and it resolved after surgery and medical treatment. The pathomechanism is discussed herein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsurubuchi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nose
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003884:Dermoid Cyst / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004487:Edema / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery