ABSTRACT
Background: Postsurgical spinal infections are a severe complication and a challenge to the neurosurgeon due to their complex management. Revision surgeries and the removal of hardware are usually necessary. Recently, advances in nuclear medicine have made it possible to employ radiotracers to identify infections. The radiolabeled antimicrobial peptide technetium-99m-ubiquicidin (99mTc-UBI) (29-41) has been demonstrated to detect bacterial infections. UBI 29-41 is a peptide sequence with selective binding to the anionic cell membrane of bacteria, which has recently been used to differentiate between infection and inflammation. Here, we describe the clinical utility of 99mTc-UBI 29-41 single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) in a patient suspected of a postoperative infection. Case description: A 54-year-old male who presented with conus medullaris syndrome secondary to T12 spondylodiscitis and multiple abscess collections was initially managed with debridement, corpectomy, and minimally invasive lateral instrumentation. The patient developed postsurgical empyema near the surgical site. The image study avoided the need for a second surgery and hardware removal. Conclusion: The use of 99mTc-UBI 29-41 SPECT-CT served as a tool to avoid a second invasive procedure; instead, conservative management with antibiotics was performed with an effective outcome after two weeks. This radiotracer has utility in cases in which infection is suspected, but the location is not entirely clear, and information is needed to guide the therapeutic approach.
ABSTRACT
Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 33 años de edad, a quien se diagnosticó un macroadenoma hipofisiario. Después de realizar dos resecciones quirúrgicas del macroadenoma y de observarse recurrencia, se decidió dar radioterapia con un total de 25 sesiones y dosis acumulada de 5,600 cGy. Dos años después la paciente presentó signos y síntomas del síndrome de Klüver-Bucy (SKB) en relación a encefalopatía posradiación. Este síndrome se presenta cuando existe disfunción temporal bilateral y se caracteriza por alteraciones en la conducta sexual y en los hábitos dietéticos, déficit en la memoria, hiperoralidad, apatía y abulia. Existen reportes escasos en la literatura acerca del SKB en relación a trauma, encefalitis y cirugía; la radionecrósis bitemporal como causa del síndrome es rara, por lo que se considera interesante la presentación de este caso, así como una breve revisión con base a los casos reportados.
