Spinal epidural abscess treated with antibiotics alone.

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare clinical condition among children. Most patients do not present with classical signs. A 13-year-old boy without any predisposing factors presented with paraparesis, bladder and bowel involvement. MRI spine demonstrated an SEA at the C7 and D1 levels on both sides of the midline with cord oedema at the C2-3 to C6 level with minimal marrow oedema in the C6 vertebral body. We treated the patient with antibiotics (ceftriaxone and vancomycin) alone. The patient showed excellent response with only minimal residual gait disturbance at the end of 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy. This is the first paediatric report of complete recovery of a patient at clinical stage 4 following antibiotic treatment alone from India. However, caution should be exercised to closely monitor the patient's recovery as any progression in the neurological state warrants surgery.

Abernethy malformation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Abernethy malformation is a very rare congenital vascular malformation defined by diversion of portal blood away from liver. It is commonly associated with multiple congenital anomalies. We present a case of Abernethy malformation, without associated congenital anomalies from India. CASE PRESENTATION: A 5-year-old female child presented with short history of jaundice. A provisional diagnosis of acute viral hepatitis was made in view of clinical presentation and local endemicity of viral hepatitis A. Persistence of jaundice on follow up after 4 weeks led to detailed investigations. Ultrasound and doppler study of abdomen revealed drainage of portal vein into inferior vena cava. CT angiography was performed which confirmed the diagnosis of Type 1 b Abernethy malformation without associated major anomalies. We discuss the common clinical presentations, associated anomalies, diagnostic workup and treatment options of this disorder. CONCLUSION: The treatment of the patients with congenital porto-systemic shunts depends on the site of the shunt, associated congenital anomalies and the extent of liver damage but the prognosis depends on the complications irrespective of anatomical type. However, the extent of associated abnormalities should not deter paediatricians to refer patients for treatment. Whenever possible closure of the shunt should be advised for cure or to prevent complications. Only symptomatic type I patients with absence of possibility to close the shunt may require liver transplant. Long-term follow-up is indicated for all patients.

Pott's Spine: Retrospective Analysis of MRI Scans of 70 Cases.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is the commonest of the infections world wide and it can affect almost any part of the body, most commonly the thorax. The spine is affected in 50 % of the cases of skeletal tuberculosis. A tuberculous infection of the spine causes a bony destruction and collapse of the vertebrae, with a gibbus deformity, skip lesions, an intervertebral disc involvement, an epidural abscess, a paravertebral abscess and oedema in the soft tissue planes. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the most valuable investigation in the patients with spinal tuberculosis, as it can clearly demonstrate all of the above findings. METHODS: In this study, the MRI scans of 70 known cases of tuberculosis of the spine, which were done in the Department of Radiodiagnosis, R.D.Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India, were retrospectively analyzed, to determine the pattern of occurrence of various pathological lesions. RESULTS: It was found in this study, that Pott's spine was most commonly observed in the 21-50 years age group, with a male predominance. The dorsal and the lumbar vertebrae are commonly involved and multiple vertebrae were often affected, the L3 vertebra being the commonest. An intervertebral disc involvement and pre and paravertebral collections were commonly seen, with an epidural collection occurring in more than 75 % of the cases. Cord oedema was noted in 10% of the cases. CONCLUSION: The MRI scan is highly sensitive in the detection of various pathological processes of Pott's spine and the patterns of occurrence of these findings were analyzed in this study. Since the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis are dependent on various epidemiologically sensitive parameters, this study can provide a benchmark, against which the results of studies which will be done in the future can be compared.