Epidural abscess resulting from traumatic esophageal rupture secondary to a flexion-extension injury

An epidural abscess developed several weeks after a traumatic esophageal rupture secondary to a reported flexion-extension injury in a restrained back seat passenger in a motor vehicle accident. Chest radiograph and an Indium study suggested the possibility of a posterior mediastinal abscess. Chest computed tomography (CT) also noted epidural abscess and osteomyelitis, which were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diagnosis was delayed significantly by underinterpretation of both chest and CT findings. Obvious positive findings (lower lobe infiltrate on chest radiograph and posterior mediastinal abscess on CT) were noted, but more subtle and very important findings of superior mediastinal widening and extra pulmonary gas bubbles on the chest radiograph and extradural disease displacing the spinal cord on CT were not described. We can find no previously reported case of esophageal rupture associated with flexion-extension injury of the neck. It is also extremely rare for esophageal rupture to remain asymptomatic for more than several hours.     

Cranial epidural tuberculoma. A case report

A 33-year-old patient with cranial epidural tuberculoma without history of tuberculosis is described. CT and MR imaging showed a lesion located on both sides of a right frontotemporal bone destruction with epidural extent. Except for a small necrotic core, the lesion enhanced intensely after contrast medium administration. Osteitis and subgaleal abscess were associated. The displaced dura mater delineated the epidural tuberculoma. Diagnosis was verified by histology and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. After removal of the tuberculoma and combination therapy, there was a complete regression of abnormalities. Differential diagnoses are dural tuberculoma, focal tuberculous pachymeningitis and tuberculous epidural empyema.     

Septic arthritis in a lumbar facet joint: a rare cause of an epidural abscess

A 10-year-old boy presented with a 7-day history of back pain and pyrexia. MRI showed an epidural abscess arising from septic arthritis in a lumbar facet joint. Whilst septic arthritis in a large joint is relatively common in children, epidural abscess is rare. This case illustrates how infection in a synovial joint may extend into the extradural space and might be the route of infection in more cases than has previously been recognised.     

Acute spinal epidural abscess in the whole spine: case report of a 2-year-old boy

We report on an acute epidural abscess in a 2-year-old boy, extending from the C1 level to the L5 level. The causative agent was Staphylococcus aureus as proved by pus and blood culture. The infectious source was in the scrotum. The diffuse epidural abscess was readily detected by MRI, which showed hypo-intensity in T1 WI and hyperintensity in gradient echo T2-weighted images. The abscess capsule was enhanced by Gadolinium-DTPA. The patient recovered completely after adequate treatment with antibiotics and follow up MRI showed complete disappearace of the epidural abscess. abscess. Correspondence to: W. C. Shen     

Delayed epidural hematoma

Summary A case of delayed epidural hematoma is described who had an initial computerized tomography (CT) scan reported as normal. Repeat CT scan at 48 h demonstrated a right temporal epidural hematoma. A skull fracture was not observed radiographically or at surgery. The world literature is reviewed and the criteria for repeat CT scanning is discussed.     

Septic arthritis of a lumbar facet joint associated with epidural and paravertebral soft tissue abscess

Septic arthritis of the lumbar facet joint is rare, probably underdiagnosed, often associated with complications such as epidural abscess and paraspinal muscles abscess. Diagnosis is based on imaging evaluation. Plain radiographs of the lumbar spine are not helpful because often nomal. Bone scintigraphy is very sensitive but non-specific. CT scan can confirm the diagnosis and guide the needle biopsy. MRI is the preferred imaging modality for diagnosis. MRI shows early bone and joint involvement and it is helpful in detecting epidural and paravertebral soft tissue lesions.     

Encapsulated epidural catheter

Summary A case where an encapsulated permanent epidural catheter for continuous analgesia caused pressure on the dural sac is presented. The clinical findings and postmyelographic computerised tomography (CT) imitated an epidural metastasis, until an epidurography via the epidural catheter revealed its true nature.     

硬膜外麻醉神经并发症的MRI表现

目的探讨硬膜外麻醉神经并发症的MRI诊断价值. 资料与方法对12例硬膜外麻醉出现神经并发症的MRI资料进行回顾性分析,重点观察椎管内结构的形态、MRI信号特征. 结果脊髓损伤4例,1例合并硬膜外血肿,表现为髓内条状长T1、长T2信号;单纯硬膜外血肿5例,表现为梭形或半月形T1、T2不均匀高信号;硬膜外脓肿3例,表现为硬膜后外方梭形或长圆形稍长T1、长T2信号,增强扫描脓肿壁明显强化.诊断结果与临床和术后诊断结果符合. 结论 MRI对硬膜外麻醉神经并发症诊断具有很大价值,宜作为首选方法.     

Delayed epidural hematoma after evacuation of a subdural hematoma

CT easily diagnoses epidural hematomas. The appearance of an epidural hematoma may be delayed by compression from a contralateral lesion. The possibility of a delayed epidural hematoma should be kept in mind in the presence of additional findings such as a skull fracture contralateral to the original lesion or decompression of the epidural hematoma into either the subgaleal or the subarachnoid space. We present a case in which an epidural hematoma declared itself after the evacuation of a contralateral subdural hematoma.     

Chronic osteomyelitis with epidural abscess: CT and MR findings

A case of chronic osteomyelitis in the occipital bone associated with underlying chronic epidural abscess was diagnosed by skull radiography, CT, and MR. Skull radiography showed diffuse sclerosis of the occipital bone and dural calcifications. Computed tomography demonstrated thickened sclerotic changes of the osteomyelitic area, dural calcifications, and epidural fluid collection. The area of chronic osteomyelitis displayed, essentially, no signal intensity in the T1-weighted and T2-weighted MR images. The chronic epidural abscess had heterogeneous signal intensity on T1-weighted images and good enhancement after Gd-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid administration. On T2-weighted images the abscess had relatively homogeneous high signal intensity.     

Computer aided detection of epidural masses on computed tomography scans

The widespread use of CT imaging and the critical importance of early detection of epidural masses of the spinal canal generate a scenario ideal for the implementation of a computer-aided detection (CAD) system. Epidural masses can lead to paralysis, incontinence and loss of neurological function if not promptly detected. We present, to our knowledge, the first CAD system to detect epidural masses on CT scans. In this paper, spatially constrained Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and supervoxel-based method are proposed for epidural mass detection. The detection is performed on the Gaussian level or the supervoxel level rather than the voxel level. Cross-validation on 40 patients with epidural masses on body CT showed that the supervoxel-based method yielded a significant improvement of performance (82% at 3 false positives per patient) over the spatially constrained GMM method (55% at 3 false positives per patient).     

颅内硬膜外软组织巨细胞瘤1例并文献复习

目的探讨软组织巨细胞瘤(GCT-ST)的影像特点及鉴别诊断。方法回顾性分析1例经手术病理证实的颅内硬膜外GCT-ST的平扫CT、平扫和增强MRI表现并行文献复习。结果颅底CT平扫显示左侧颞部多囊性低密度影,呈分叶状,内部见高密度分隔,邻近左侧颞骨局部骨质变薄、毛糙。MRI显示左侧颞部囊性肿物,T1WI呈低信号,T2WI呈高信号,T2 FLAIR呈等信号,其内见低信号分隔;增强检查可见病变边缘及分隔强化。结论颅内硬膜外GCT-ST罕见,其临床和影像表现无特异性,确诊需病理组织学检查。     

Extravasation of constrast-enhanced blood in an epidural hematoma

Summary A case is reported in which there was a large extravasation of contrast medium into an epidural hematoma during contrast-enhanced CT.     

Spondylitis with epidural abscess and spinal tuberculoma as a major cause of myeloradiculopathy: a case report

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing aerobic bacillus. The primary site of infections can be in the lungs, mediastinum lymph nodes, mesentery, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, or any other viscera. We described a case of a 52-year-old Indonesian female who presented weakness in upper and lower extremities with low back pain and stiffness of the muscle since 4 months ago and getting worse over 1 week. She has no history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Then the patient underwent a laboratory examination, chest X-ray, vertebrae X-ray, and MRI examination for further evaluation. Both examinations revealed tuberculous spondylitis with epidural abscess and intramedullary tuberculoma. The patient was administered an antituberculosis drug therapy, and the surgery was scheduled after three months of treatment.     

Iatrogenic pneumocephalus following a cervical epidural steroid injection: A case report

Pneumocephalus is a condition defined by air present in the intracranial space. There are several causes of pneumocephalus, however this is a case of a patient who developed pneumocephalus following a cervical epidural steroid injection. Uniquely, this patient''s chief complaint was sudden onset of syncope, and respiratory arrest following the injection. The diagnosis was made by CT, and conservative treatment was used for resolution of the condition. Patients with pneumocephalus can present with a wide range of neurologic symptoms, and prompt recognition and treatment are key to preventing irreversible neurologic damage.     

椎管内占位病变的CT评价

本文回顾性分析了２８例椎管内占位病变（包括椎管内肿瘤２４例、蛛网膜囊肿２例、硬膜外脓肿和椎同盘突出各１例）的ＣＴ表现。着重讨论了造影剂增强ＣＴ的特征。大多数增强ＣＴ可显示肿块的轮廓，有助于肿块定位。室管膜瘤和星形细胞瘤的增强ＣＴ表现类似，但雪旺氏瘤、海绵状血管瘤和脓肿具有增强ＣＴ特征；同时还对脂肪瘤、脊膜瘤和蛛网膜囊肿的增强ＣＴ特征进行了探讨。增强ＣＴ定位困难时，ＣＴＭ可有很大的帮助。     

Bifrontal epidural haematoma after shunt operation and posterior fossa exploration

Summary A case of bifrontal epidural haematoma secondary to ventriculocardiac (Spitz-Holter) shunt operation and posterior fossa exploration is reported. The relevant literature has been reviewed. The diagnosis of this complication was made by CT scan.     

Percutaneous drainage of abscess in psoas compartment and epidural space. Case report and review of the literature

The history of a patient with neurological deficit symptoms secondary to a spinal epidural abscess connected with psoas abscess and several fistulas on the buttocks is described. Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment are discussed. Percutaneous drainage of the spinal epidural abscess is suggested as an alternative to surgery.     

Spinal epidural abscess: correlation between MRI findings and outcome

Our purpose was to determine if specific MRI findings in spinal epidural abscess (SEA), at the time of diagnosis, are associated with the clinical outcome. The clinical records and MRI studies of 18 patients with SEA were reviewed and follow-up was obtained from the outpatient medical record, telephone interview, or both. The association between findings on contrast-enhanced MRI and clinical outcome (weakness, neck or back pain, and incomplete functional recovery) was evaluated. With univariate analysis, narrowing of 50 % or more of the central spinal canal (P = 0.03), peripheral contrast-enhancement (P = 0.05), and abnormal spinal cord signal intensity (P = 0.05) were associated with weakness at follow-up. Persistent neck or back pain was associated with spinal canal narrowing (P = 0.02), peripheral contrast-enhancement (P = 0.02), and an abscess longer than 3 cm (P = 0.04) on MRI. Incomplete clinical recovery was associated with both abscess length (P = 0.01) and the severity of canal narrowing (P = 0.01). Abscess length, enhancement pattern, and severity of canal narrowing can be incorporated in a grading system that can be used to predict outcome. Received: 9 September 1998 Accepted: 6 March 1999     

Spinal Epidural Hematoma After Thrombolysis for Deep Vein Thrombosis with Subsequent Pulmonary Thromboembolism: A Case Report

A 38-year-old male was initially admitted for left leg swelling. He was diagnosed as having deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the left leg and a pulmonary thromboembolism by contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) with delayed lower extremity CT. The DVT was treated by thrombolysis and a venous stent. Four hours later, he complained of severe back pain and a sensation of separation of his body and lower extremities; he experienced paraplegia early in the morning of the following day. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a spinal epidural hematoma between T11 and L2, which decompressed following surgery. We, therefore, report a case of a spinal epidural hematoma after thrombolysis in a case of DVT with a pulmonary thromboembolism.