Idiopathic septic arthritis of a lumbar facet joint associated with paraspinal abscess.

A 48-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of severe lower back pain on a background of 24 h of mild fever and general tiredness with an associated right-sided foot drop. Five weeks after the onset and with no improvement in symptoms in spite of analgesia and physiotherapy, the patient had a lumbar spine MRI which demonstrated a collection extending from the facet joints of L5 and L6 to the iliacus muscle on the right. A CT-guided aspiration was performed with a lengthy hospital stay for intravenous antibiotic treatment.

Location of the sural nerve during posterolateral approach to the ankle.

Background: There is no consensus regarding the most appropriate surgical approach for the treatment of posterior malleolar fractures. The posterolateral approach facilitates more accurate reduction, but the sural nerve is potentially at risk during the approach. The location of this nerve in relation to this approach has not been clearly described in the literature.