Spinal epidural abscess and paralytic mechanisms.

Curr Opin Neurol

Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.

Published: June 2013

Purpose Of Review: The incidence of spinal epidural abscess is increasing, and the understanding of the pathophysiology is evolving. Better understanding of the pathophysiology, specifically the role of ischemia, warrants a change in therapy.

Recent Findings: Paralysis in spinal epidural abscess may be the result of spinal cord compression, spinal cord arterial and/or venous ischemia and thrombophlebitis or a combination of these.

Summary: Recent evidence indicates the following areas of investigation and management can improve outcome in spinal epidural abscess: minimally invasive surgery early versus medical management when there are no significant neurological deficits, neuroradiologic arterial evaluation with therapies directed at vascular ischemia and thrombosis, and aggressive rehabilitation.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WCO.0b013e3283608430DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

spinal epidural
16
epidural abscess
16
understanding pathophysiology
8
spinal cord
8
spinal
6
abscess
4
abscess paralytic
4
paralytic mechanisms
4
mechanisms purpose
4
purpose review
4

Similar Publications

Background: Spinal epidural arachnoid cysts (SEACs) are rare, non-neoplastic pathologies that can cause compressive myelopathy. Preoperative identification of the exact fistula location is crucial for minimally invasive management.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 27 patients with SEACs who underwent "double-needle puncture myelography" to precisely localize the fistula before minimally invasive surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The authors report the first case of thoracic interdural spinal cysts presenting as radiculopathy attributed to overdrainage-related cervical venous plexus enlargement. This case emphasizes the importance of considering interdural spinal cysts and cerebrospinal fluid overdrainage in the differential diagnosis of radiculopathy.

Observations: A 37-year-old male patient with a history of orthostatic headache presented with bilateral deltoid muscle atrophy consistent with C5 radiculopathy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: This retrospective, case controlled, comparative evaluation review of radiation exposure during epidural procedures in interventional pain management assessed variations in radiation exposure based on obesity, race, and gender.

Recent Findings: Numerous publications have shown increasing radiation exposure based on body mass index (BMI). However, the influence of race and gender have not been studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A 41-year-old man with a history of obesity, hypertension, and smoking suffered from numbness and weakness in both lower limbs. He was diagnosed with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and ligamentum flavum in the cervical and thoracic spine by X-rays, CT, and MRI. The patient underwent laminectomies at T2 and T3 levels, along with posterior fusion from T1 to T4, to address an upper thoracic spine lesion causing sensory deficits up to T5 and gait disturbances.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!