Related Experiment Videos
Pyogenic osteomyelitis of the atlas: a case report
Yasuhiro Ueda1, Norio Kawahara, Hideki Murakami
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Fukui Prefectural Hospital, Fukui, Japan. ueda0904@yahoo.co.jp
Study Design:
Case report.
Objective:
To document our experience with conservative treatment of vertebral osteomyelitis of the atlas.
Summary Of Background Data:
Although several investigators have reported osteomyelitis in the upper cervical region, most of them included the odontoid process. This is a very rare case of successful conservative treatment of osteomyelitis of the atlas.
Methods:
A 37-year-old man with pyogenic osteomyelitis caused by Streptococcus was treated conservatively. After needle biopsy, the patient underwent a 3-month antibiotic course administrated both intravenously and orally with a cervical orthosis for 4 months.
Results:
The patient was pain free with no neurologic deficit at the 24-month follow-up, and CT scan showed remodeling of the lesion of the atlas.
Conclusion:
Conservative treatment of pyogenic osteomyelitis of the atlas with antibiotics and immobilization was shown to be sufficient in this case.
