Lower leg weakness as the presentation of infective endocarditis with septic emboli.
Lower leg weakness is a common and nonspecific complaint that encompasses a broad differential diagnosis at emergency department, which includes neurologic aspect and a wide range of nonneurologic conditions. Infective endocarditis usually presented with variable symptoms emphasizing constitutional complaints, or complaints that focus on primary cardiac effects or secondary embolic phenomena. Underdiagnosis of the disease can lead to clinical catastrophe and even death. By far, it is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of lower leg weakness. Herein, we present a case of a 56-year-old man who came to our emergency department with a chief concern of lower leg weakness, which was actually the result of L-spine osteomyelitis and spondylodiscitis as complications of infective endocarditis with septic emboli.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jui-Yuan
JY
Chung
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jiann-Hwa
JH
Chen
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Henry Chih-Hung
HC
Tai
School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Pai-Hao
PH
Huang
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: weilung.chen@msa.hinet.net.
Wei-Lung
WL
Chen
D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D015299:Discitis / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004617:Embolism / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed