Catastrophic Intramedullary Abscess Caused by a Missed Congenital Dermal Sinus

Congenital dermal sinus (CDS) is a type of occult spinal dysraphism characterized by a midline skin dimple. A 12-month-old girl presented with fever and ascending quadriparesis. She had a midline skin dimple in the upper sacral area that had been discovered in her neonatal period. Imaging studies revealed a holocord intramedullary abscess and CDS. Overlooking CDS or misdiagnosing it as benign sacrococcygeal dimple may lead to catastrophic infection and cause serious neurological deficits. Therefore, further imaging work-up or consultation with a pediatric neurosurgeon is recommended following discovery of any atypical-looking dimples in the midline.

Recurrent Bacterial Meningitis Accompanied by A Spinal Intramedullary Abscess

Bacterial meningitis is rarely complicated by an intradural spinal abscess, and recurrent meningitis is an uncommon presentation of a spinal intramedullary abscess. Here, we report a 63-year-old patient with recurrent meningitis as the first manifestation of an underlying spinal intramedullary abscess. To the best of our knowledge, no previous report has been issued on recurrent meningitis accompanied by a spinal intramedullary abscess in an adult. In this article, the pathophysiological mechanism of this uncommon entity is discussed and the relevant literature reviewed.

Intramedullary Spinal Cord Abscess Masquerading as Spinal Tumor.

We report a 5-year-old girl who presented with acute onset paraparesis with differential loss of sensation. Magnetic resonance imaging of spine revealed exophytic intramedullary mass lesion from T12 to L1. Peroperatively, the diagnosis was confirmed as abscess. The patient recovered following decompression and antibiotic treatment.

Absceso intramedular en paciente con enfermedad de Rendu-Osler-Weber / Spinal abscess in a patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

La enfermedad de Rendu-Osler-Weber es una enfermedad autosómica dominante que se manifiesta por telangiectasias en piel y mucosas y malformaciones arteriovenosas en diversos órganos. El compromiso neurológico puede ocurrir por la presencia de malformaciones arterio-venosas cerebrales, hemorragia intracraneal, y más habitualmente por accidentes cerebrovasculares isquémicos y abscesos cerebrales secundarios a embolia paradojal, en pacientes con malformaciones arteriovenosas pulmonares. El absceso intramedular es una entidad rara, inusual como complicación de la enfermedad de Rendu-Osler-Weber. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 56 años de edad, con antecedentes familiares de enfermedad de Rendu-Osler- Weber, que ingresó a Terapia Intensiva con cuadriplejia aguda e hipoxemia, en quien se diagnosticó fístulas arteriovenosas pulmonares y un absceso intramedular cervical.

Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple skin and mucosal telangiectasis and multiorgan arteriovenous malformations. Neurological manifestations may occur because of cerebral arteriovenous malformations, intracranial hemorrhage, and most commonly by ischemic stroke and brain abscess secondary to paradoxical embolization in patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. Intramedullary abscess is a rare, unusual condition, in Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome. We report the case of a 56 years old woman, with a familial history of Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, admitted to intensive care with acute quadriplegia and hypoxemia. Our diagnosis was pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and intramedullary abscess.