Severe low back pain due to retroperitoneal abscess formation in diabetic patients

We report two cases of diabetic patients with severe low back pain associated with retroperitoneal abscesses. In the first case, multiple retroperitoneal and spinal epidural abscesses were detected. Paraplegia due to the spinal epidural abscess was not relieved by drainage of the abscess and subsequent antibiotic therapy. In the second case, drainage of the retroperitoneal abscess and antibiotics were immediately started, resulting in successful recovery. Thus, we suggest that if a diabetic patient complains of low back pain, potential abscess formations should be considered and given appropriate treatment before administering epidural anesthetic injections for pain relief.