Intratendinous septic abscess of the Achilles tendon after local steroid injection

In the treatment of pathological processes of the skeletal system, local injection of corticosteroid has become a common form of treatment. Although rare, pyogenic abscess can develop secondary to local corticosteroid injection. In this article, we describe the case of a patient who presented with pain, swelling, and hyperemia following local infiltration of corticosteroid about the Achilles tendon. Magnetic resonance image scanning of the Achilles tendon revealed a smoothly shaped intratendinous mass 3 x 1 cm in diameter, extending to the posterosuperior aspect of the calcaneus. A needle aspiration of the suspected abscess revealed S aureus, and subsequent surgical drainage and debridement revealed chronic inflammation secondary to infection at the site of previous local corticosteroid injection. Antibiotic therapy was used following incision and drainage, and recurrence of infection was not detected throughout the duration of follow-up.

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