CASE REPORTS
JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Two cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa epidural abscesses and cervical osteomyelitis after dental extractions.

Spine 2008 April 21
STUDY DESIGN: Case report.

OBJECTIVES: To report 2 unusual cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa epidural abscesses and cervical osteomyelitis after routine dental extractions and to review relevant literature.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a rare cause of cervical osteomyelitis in patients after dental extractions. Only 1 prior case could be found in the literature.

METHODS: The cases of an 18-year-old male and a 23-year-old female are presented. PubMed was used to search for relevant literature.

RESULTS: Our 2 patients presented with excruciating neck pain within 24 hours of routine dental extractions and, by imaging were found to have cervical epidural abscesses and osteomyelitis. Both patients were taken to the operating room for drainage and corpectomy and treated with prolonged courses of intravenous antibiotics. When seen in follow up 3 months later, neither patient demonstrated any neurologic sequelae.

CONCLUSION: Pseudomonas aeruginosa epidural abscesses and osteomyelitis of the cervical spine have only rarely been reported in healthy patients after dental extractions. To our knowledge, the 2 patients reported here are only the second 2 such cases reported in the literature. Unfortunately, as in prior cases, these 2 patients had a significant delay in diagnosis. Therefore, a strong suspicion must be maintained for all patients presenting with neck pain after a recent dental extraction and appropriate imaging must be obtained urgently.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app