title: Cervical epidural abscess caused by brucellosis.
abstract: A 70-year-old Greek lady presented with fever, arthralgias of knees, cervical and lumbar pain during the last month. On clinical examination the patient was found to have tenderness of the cervical and the lumbar spine with great motion restriction. The blood tests revealed high erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, abnormal liver function tests and a positive rheumatoid factor. Serological test for Brucella was positive while cervical MRI revealed epidural abscess and spondylodiscitis. Conservative treatment with streptomycin (it was substituted by rifampicin after the third week) and doxycyclin for 4 months significantly improved her symptoms. The frequency as well as the diagnosis and management of this manifestation are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Parodos Exochis, Nafplion, Greece. christosnina@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lampropoulos
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kamposos
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Niarou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D020802:Epidural Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents