scholarly journals Cervical osteomyelitis and an epidural abscess: an unusual form of cat-scratch disease in one case

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Khay ◽  
Salvatore Chibbaro ◽  
Younes Dehneh ◽  
Helene Cebula ◽  
François Proust

Abstract Background The association of cervical osteomyelitis with epidural abscess is extremely rare; atypical symptomatology is what makes diagnosing and management challenging. This case is the sixth case reported in the literature. The objective of our study is to describe the clinical manifestation and treatment approach. Case presentation A 71-year-old male with no medical history, who was admitted to the emergency room for C7-T1 spinal cord compression caused by Bartonella henselae, marked improvement after decompression by evacuating the empyema and antibiotic course. Conclusion Cat-scratch disease or subacute regional lymphadenitis is a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella henselae; children and adolescents are mostly infected. Systemic complications are rare; the prevalence of bone damage is estimated at 0.1 to 0.3%. Our case allows a literature review of and put in focus on our diagnostic and therapeutic attitude.

Author(s):  
Paulo Alberto Cervi Rosa ◽  
Luis Filipe Nakayama ◽  
Vinicius Campos Bergamo ◽  
Dante Akira Kondo Kuroiwa ◽  
Nilva Simeren Bueno de Moraes

Abstract Background Cat scratch disease is a systemic infectious illness caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae. The most common ophthalmological involvement due to infection by Bartonella is Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome, whereas the most common posterior segment findings are neuroretinitis and subsequent late macular star. Moreover, other findings, such as retinal or subretinal lesions, intermediate uveitis and angiomatous lesions, may be present. Case presentation A 37-year-old female patient with retinal findings and serological confirmation of Bartonella infection was evaluated via multimodal retinal exams. The patient received treatment with doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 2 weeks. One month after treatment, complete improvement of her visual scotoma symptoms was confirmed. A swept-source optical coherence tomography exam also showed decreases in the size and intraretinal extension of the lesion. Improvement of light perception at the affected area was confirmed by microperimetry. Conclusions Bartonella henselae infection, particularly retinitis, can present a variable spectrum of clinical and ophthalmological findings. Multimodal retinal exams can clearly identify lesion characteristics, thus providing important information for diagnosis and the evaluation of lesion improvement after antibiotic treatment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 713-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Dornbos ◽  
Jocelyn Morin ◽  
Joshua R. Watson ◽  
Jonathan Pindrik

Osteomyelitis of the spine with associated spinal epidural abscess represents an uncommon entity in the pediatric population, requiring prompt evaluation and diagnosis to prevent neurological compromise. Cat scratch disease, caused by the pathogen Bartonella henselae, encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical presentations; however, an association with osteomyelitis and epidural abscess has been reported in only 4 other instances in the literature. The authors report a rare case of multifocal thoracic osteomyelitis with an epidural abscess in a patient with a biopsy-proven pathogen of cat scratch disease. A 5-year-old girl, who initially presented with vague constitutional symptoms, was diagnosed with cat scratch disease following biopsy of an inguinal lymph node. Despite appropriate antibiotics, she presented several weeks later with recurrent symptoms and back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed 2 foci of osteomyelitis at T-8 and T-11 with an associated anterior epidural abscess from T-9 to T-12. Percutaneous image-guided vertebral biopsy revealed B. henselae by polymerase chain reaction analysis, and she was treated conservatively with doxycycline and rifampin with favorable clinical outcome.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regis W. Haid ◽  
Howard H. Kaufman ◽  
Sydney S. Schochet ◽  
Gary D. Marano

Abstract A case of epidural lipomatosis in a 49-year-old man presenting with paraparesis, midthoracic pain, and Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia is reported. The patient had been on low dose corticosteroid therapy for 7 years for rheumatoid arthritis. The clinical and myelographic findings suggested a diagnosis of epidural abscess, but the only abnormality discovered at operation was abundant fatty tissue in the dorsal epidural space significantly compressing the spinal cord, and this was partially removed. Postoperative neurological improvement suggested that the lipomatosis was responsible for the spinal cord compression and dysfunction. If this diagnosis had been suspected, it might have been confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging or postmyelography computed tomographic scanning. With such a diagnosis, an alternative treatment could have been to decrease the steroid dose, observe for clinical improvement, and perhaps avoid operation. (Neurosurgery 21:744-747, 1987)


2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 496-498
Author(s):  
Mardjan Arvand ◽  
Ilkay Kazak ◽  
Sergije Jovanovic ◽  
Hans-Dieter Foss ◽  
Oliver Liesenfeld

ABSTRACT We report on a young patient with chronic cervical lymphadenopathy and serological and histological evidence for infection with Bartonella henselae and Toxoplasma gondii. Serological follow-up studies, including testing for avidity of Toxoplasma-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies, assisted in the determination of the cause of the acute lymphadenitis. Our results suggest that the clinical symptoms were most likely due to cat scratch disease rather than to acute toxoplasmosis.


2021 ◽  
pp. rapm-2021-103041
Author(s):  
Chinar Sanghvi ◽  
Tiffany Su ◽  
Tony L Yaksh ◽  
David J Copenhaver ◽  
Eric O Klineberg ◽  
...  

BackgroundCerebral spinal fluid (CSF) dynamics are complex and changes in spinal anatomy may influence the rostrocaudal movement of intrathecal medications. We present the first reported case demonstrating that acute cervical spinal stenosis may impede the distribution of adjacent intrathecal medications, and that correction of such stenosis and the resulting changes in CSF flow may necessitate significant adjustments in the intrathecal infusates.Case presentationWe present a case of a 60-year-old male patient with a cervicothoracic intrathecal pump (ITP) infusing morphine, bupivacaine, and baclofen for chronic neck pain. The alert and oriented patient had a recent fall resulting in an acute severe cervical stenosis and cord compression which required urgent surgical decompression. Postoperatively, after the cervical decompression, the patient had significant altered mental status requiring a naloxone infusion. Multiple attempts to reduce the naloxone infusion were initially not successful due to worsened somnolence. The previously tolerated ITP medications were continuously reduced over the next 14 days, allowing concomitant decrease and eventual cessation of the naloxone infusion while maintaining patient mental status. The only opioids the patient received during this period were from the ITP.ConclusionsThis case presents clinical evidence that severe spinal stenosis may impede the rostral CSF distribution of intrathecal medications. Intrathecal medications previously tolerated by patients prior to decompression may need to be significantly reduced in the postoperative period.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 914-917
Author(s):  
Siti Nuradliah Jamil ◽  
Ilham Ameera Ismail ◽  
Siti Fatimah Badlishah Sham ◽  
Norliana Dalila Mohamad Ali

Cat scratch disease is a communicable disease caused by the Bartonella henselae bacteria. Regional lymphadenopathy is the hallmark of cat scratch disease and about 75% of lymphadenopathy cases are localized in the head and neck region. An epitrochlear lymphadenopathy is a rare condition at any age and often misdiagnosed as it is not normally palpable. External compression of an enlarged epitrochlear lymph node compromising vascularity was not mentioned in any literature before. We present a case of a 13-year-old girl with right positional ipsilateral hand pallor and epitrochlear lymphadenitis with serological evidence of Bartonella henselae infection. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(4) 2021 p.914-917


2007 ◽  
Vol 131 (10) ◽  
pp. 1591-1594
Author(s):  
Brandy Fouch ◽  
Susan Coventry

Abstract Cat-scratch disease resulting from Bartonella henselae infection is usually a benign, self-limited process in immunocompetent children. Even the rare cases associated with neurologic manifestations are not generally fatal. We report a case of a previously healthy 6-year-old boy with cat-scratch disease, systemic dissemination, and encephalitis that led to his death. Autopsy revealed perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates and microglial nodules in the brain. To our knowledge, this finding has not been previously reported in B henselae infection, possibly because of the paucity of material available for complete neuropathologic evaluation. This case illustrates the extreme severity of the spectrum with which cat-scratch disease can present and provides evidence of brain histopathology that may be representative of the disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Rahimizadeh ◽  
Parviz Habibollahzadeh ◽  
Walter L. Williamson ◽  
Housain Soufiani ◽  
Mahan Amirzadeh ◽  
...  

Background: Thoracic spinal cord compression due to both ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is rare. Case Description: A 33-year-old male with AS presented with a paraparesis attributed to MR documented T9-T10 OLF/stenosis. He was successfully managed with a decompressive laminectomy; this resulted in marked improvement of his deficit. Conclusion: Thoracic OLF and AS rarely contribute T9-T10 spinal cord compression that may be readily relieved with a decompressive laminectomy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1221-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M Litwin ◽  
Joel M Johnson ◽  
Thomas B Martins

Bartonella henselae is a recently recognized pathogenic bacterium associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis. A recombinant clone expressing an immunoreactive antigen of B. henselae was isolated by screening a genomic DNA cosmid library by Western blotting with sera pooled from patients positive for B. henselae IgG antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA). The deduced amino acid sequence of the 43.7 kDa encoded protein was found to be 76.3 % identical to the dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase enzyme (SucB) of Brucella melitensis. SucB has been shown to be an immunogenic protein during infections by Brucella melitensis, Coxiella burnetii and Bartonella vinsonii. The agreement between reactivity with a recombinant SucB fusion protein on immunoblot analysis and the results obtained by IFA was 55 % for IFA-positive sera and 88 % for IFA-negative sera. Cross-reactivity was observed with sera from patients with antibodies against Brucella melitensis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia typhi.


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