Sweet's syndrome associated with spinal surgical intervention. A case report

A patient with a medical history of Sweet's Syndrome, an acute neutrophilic dermatosis, was seen at the authors' institution for cervical pain. After undergoing a thorough history-taking and physical examination and after experiencing no relief with conservative therapy, the patient underwent cervical spine surgery. After the surgical procedure, the patient developed multiple cutaneous lesions that were consistent with the findings associated with an acute recurrence of Sweet's Syndrome.

To characterize the authors' experience with this unusual histologically documented dermatologic disorder.

Sweet's Syndrome is a rare form of neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by recurrent eruptions of painful, edematous, red, tender plaques that are found predominantly on the torso in middle-aged women. After an extensive literature search, it was noted that this rare and unusual disorder has not been reported previously in association with surgical intervention of any type, including spinal operations.

The patient's postoperative course was documented, and all medical records were reviewed retrospectively.

The patient's rash resolved spontaneously. Solid fusion of C5-C6 occurred. The patient remained neurovascularly intact, and her axial cervical pain decreased significantly from its preoperative levels.

Sweet's Syndrome remains a rare dermatologic disorder, which may complicate a routine postoperative course. Patients with Sweet's Syndrome have an exceedingly high rate of other serious medical illness. The effect of Sweet's Syndrome on physiologic bone healing is unknown. In this patient, there was nonunion of the cervical spine, with eventual solid bony union. Perioperatively, patients with this disorder are treated with oral prednisone and oral antibiotics to prevent secondary complications at the surgical wound.