Vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscesses caused by Prevotella oralis: a case report

An interesting case of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis with multiple epidural abscesses caused by non-pigmented Prevotella oralis is reported. The patient was a 68-year-old female who presented to the emergency room (ER) with severe pain and tenderness in her lower back with fever. She had recently undergone esophagogastroduodensoscopy (EGD) for complaints of esophageal reflux, which showed submucosal cyst in the esophagus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracic spine revealed multiple spinal epidural abscesses with signal enhancement at the level of T6 and T7, suggestive of vertebral osteomyelitis. Two blood cultures drawn one hour apart grew Prevotella oralis. The body fluid aspirated from the abscesses was also positive for the anaerobic commensal P. oralis. Necrosis associated with the submucosal cyst was implicated as the cause of sepsis and osteomyelitis due to this organism.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical cytoreduction in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

AIMS: To study the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgical cytoreduction in the management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 82 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancers (stage IIIC and IV) who were treated with NACT followed by surgical cytoreduction between 1995 and 2004 was performed. Response to NACT, optimal cytoreduction rate, disease-free survival and overall survival were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 59 patients (72%) with stage IIIC disease and 23 (28%) with stage IV disease. Diagnosis was established by imaging, ascitic fluid cytology and CA-125 estimations in 75% and by laparotomy in 25% of the patients. After NACT, complete response occurred in 17 patients (20.7%), 50 (61.0%) had partial response and no response was documented in 15 (18.3%) patients. Optimal surgical cytoreduction could be achieved in 72% of the patients. At the median follow-up of 34 months (range 6-102 months), 5-year disease-free and overall survivals were 31 and 32% respectively. The median disease free interval was 25.4 months. On multivariate analysis, degree of optimal cytoreduction was the only factor (P < 0.05) affecting survival. CONCLUSIONS: NACT followed by surgical cytoreduction is a promising treatment strategy for the management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancers. A significant number of patients exhibit response to NACT. Downstaging following NACT leads to higher optimal cytoreduction rates and improved survival in comparison to historical controls.