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High thoracic spinal infection following upper gastrointestinal work-up
Yung Chen1, Byung-Jo Kim, Sang-Heon Lee
1Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Center, Daly City, CA, USA.
Gastrointestinal endoscopy can rarely cause spinal infections. A patient developed a thoracic epidural abscess after esophageal rupture, leading to leg weakness, but recovered after surgery.
Area of Science:
- Spinal Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Spinal infections are uncommon complications of gastrointestinal procedures.
- Esophageal rupture during endoscopy is a rare but serious event.
Observation:
- An 80-year-old man presented with thoracic pain, fever, and progressive lower extremity weakness and numbness.
- He had recently undergone endoscopic gastrointestinal investigation.
Findings:
- Thoracic spine MRI revealed a T2-T3 vertebral body space-occupying lesion with an epidural abscess.
- Surgical decompression resulted in gradual recovery of lower extremity motor function.
Implications:
- Early diagnosis and treatment of spinal infections post-endoscopy are crucial to prevent neurological deficits.
- Physicians should consider spinal infection as a potential complication after gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.
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