title: Fever, pain, and a limp: a case of a psoas and spinal epidural abscess caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a diabetic patient.
abstract: Psoas and spinal epidural abscesses are rare conditions that are infrequently found occurring simultaneously in the same patient. This case presents an 18-year-old female with diabetes mellitus who presented with fever and leg pain. Blood and urine cultures were positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A CT scan of the abdomen showed a large psoas abscess with loculations extending and involving the spinal canal. The abscesses were drained and the patient completed a 6-week course of intravenous antibiotics with remarkable improvement of her clinical condition. The diagnosis of psoas and epidural abscesses is difficult and can be overlooked or delayed as a result of their vague clinical manifestations and their rarity, which leads to a lack of clinical suspicion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas 79905, USA. nina.habicht@ttuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Nina E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Flavin
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D020802:Epidural Abscess / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D016659:Psoas Abscess / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy