Spinal epidural abscess

This paper describes problems in the diagnosis and management of six patients with spinal epidural abscess. Since the clinical findings in this disease process are frequently misinterpreted, one must be careful to exclude this diagnosis in any patient with fever, leukocytosis, back pain and recent infection or back trauma. Alcoholic patients, in particular, seem at high risk for missed diagnosis since the clinical findings are frequently misinterpreted to be complications of alcoholism. Suspicion of spinal epidural abscess should lead to immediate lumbar puncture with manometrics as well as myelography. Once the diagnosis is established surgery should be immediate. Gram stains and cultures taken at the time of lumbar puncture or at operation will dictate appropriate antibiotic therapy. The cause of infection can be fairly well determined by the location of the abscess and a knowledge of the pathogenesis. Prognosis seems directly dependent on the preoperative neurologic status of the patient.