Vertebral osteomyelitis, epidural and psoas abscess after epidural catheter use

We report on a patient who developed persistent low back pain, pyrexia and neurological deficit soon after she underwent a laparotomy under combined general and epidural anaesthesia. The diagnosis of lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis, discitis, epidural and psoas abscesses was made one month later when she was referred to our institution. The patient was successfully treated with posterior decompression, drainage of the epidural abscess and fusion in combination with percutaneous, computed tomography-guided needle aspiration of the psoas abscesses.