Spinal cord abscess

Alternative names:

abscess - spinal cord

Symptoms:

• fever
• chills
• backache in the lower back
  • often mild
  • progressively worsening
  • typically radiating to hip, leg, or feet (lower extremity)
  • may radiate to the shoulder, arm, or hand (upper extremity)

• sudden or rapid progression of neurologic symptoms
• loss of movement of an area of the body
• weakness or paralysis
• loss of sensation of an area of the body
• numbness in a specific, limited area (localized)
• loss of bladder or bowel control
  • inability to retain feces (fecal incontinence)
  • unable to keep from leaking urine (urinary incontinence)

• male impotence

Signs and tests:

An examination often shows localized tenderness over the spine. A neurologic examination may indicate spinal cord compression, with involvement of the lower body (paraplegia) or the entire trunk, arms, and legs (quadriplegia). The extent of neurologic losses corresponds with the location of the lesion on the spine and with the amount of spinal cord compression.

• A CSF examination may be normal or may contain a few white blood cells and slightly elevated protein levels.
• A CT scan or MRI confirm epidural abscess. Dye may be necessary for CT scan to show a clear picture of the abscess.
• A culture of material obtained by surgical drainage of the abscess will determine the specific microorganism(s) responsible for the infection.