title: Serratia marcescens spinal epidural abscess formation following acupuncture.
abstract: The formation of spinal epidural abscess following acupuncture is very rare. We herein report the case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with progressive low back pain and fever with a root sign. She underwent surgical decompression, with an immediate improvement of the low back pain. A culture of the epidural abscess grew Serratia marcescens. One year postoperatively, magnetic resonance imaging revealed the almost complete eradication of the abscess. This case is the first case of Serratia marcescens-associated spinal epidural abscess formation secondary to acupuncture. The characteristics of spinal epidural abscess that develop after acupuncture and how to prevent such complications are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Chih-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shun-Neng
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Jhih-Syuan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dueng-Yuan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Hueng
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D020802:Epidural Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D016868:Serratia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000302:isolation & purification*