title: Acute scoliosis in a 3-year-old boy.
abstract: The case describes the presentation of a fit and well 3-year-old boy to the emergency department of a district general hospital after he developed an acute scoliosis overnight. There was no history of trauma, his observations were normal and he had non-specific symptoms of lethargy and reduced appetite, but no fevers or respiratory distress. Bloods showed raised inflammatory markers and he was referred to orthopaedics as a septic disc as there was some spinal tenderness. An urgent MRI was considered initially but on further examination there was some reduced air entry on the left lung base which a chest radiograph confirmed as a left-sided pneumonia. A diagnosis of pneumonia and secondary functional scoliosis was made. The child was admitted under paediatrics and made a full recovery on antibiotics. At 8 weeks follow-up there was resolution of scoliosis clinically and radiologically.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, UK. rishi.malhotra@nhs.net
authors.forename: Rishi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: Raghav
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murali-Ganesh
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunkley
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Desai
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000658:Amoxicillin; D010400:Penicillin G