title: Staphylococcus aureus osteitis of the dens: a rare location.
abstract: An immunocompetent 84-year-old woman was admitted for severe neck pain with a fever. Magnetic resonance imaging showed osteitis of the dens. She had methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia related to a dental extraction. She then developed an infection of a hip prosthesis due to the same organism. Her treatment consisted in intravenous antibiotics followed by oral suppressive antibiotic therapy for 2 years. Exchange arthroplasty was not performed given the advanced age of the patient, her unwillingness to undergo the procedure, and the risk of neurological complications during endotracheal intubation. The outcome was favorable at last follow-up more than 2 years after antibiotic treatment initiation.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine interne et rhumatologie, groupe hospitalier Diaconesses-Croix Saint-Simon, 125, rue d'Avron, 75020 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goes
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zeller
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chicheportiche
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tristan
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Desplaces
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ziza
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006622:Hip Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D009809:Odontoid Process / Q000382:microbiology*; D010000:Osteitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Abscess of the dens; Hip prosthesis infection