[Febrile cervicalgia revealing infectious epiduritis : a case report]. / Cas clinique. Cervicalgies fébriles révélatrices d'une épidurite infectieuse.

Infectious epiduritis and epidural abscesses are relatively rare pathologies but with important neurological consequences. A low incidence associated with an insidious clinical presentation leads to frequent delays in diagnosis, which worsen the prognosis of patients with the development of neurological deficits. While the evaluation of risk factors, a careful clinical examination and biological tests can guide to the diagnosis, the key examination remains magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while lumbar puncture remains contraindicated. Although surgery (spinal decompression) has long been the treatment of choice, the current management of patients with infectious epiduritis is debated between surgery and conservative treatment with systemic antibiotic therapy.

Les épidurites infectieuses et les abcès épiduraux sont des pathologies relativement rares, mais avec des conséquences neurologiques redoutables. Une faible incidence et une présentation clinique souvent insidieuse engendrent de fréquents retards de diagnostic qui péjorent le pronostic des patients avec le développement de déficits neurologiques. Si l'évaluation des facteurs de risque, un examen clinique scrupuleux et des analyses biologiques peuvent guider vers le diagnostic, l'examen-clé reste l'imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM). La ponction lombaire est contre-indiquée. Bien que l'approche chirurgicale ait longtemps été le traitement de choix, un traitement plus conservateur basé sur une antibiothérapie systémique est également discuté.

Cervico-occipital junction infectious osteoarthritis complicated with atlantoaxial dislocation, cervical abscesses and epiduritis: A case report and review of the literature.

Craniocervical junction infections are considered a rare condition and can be associated with degradation of the odontoid ligaments and, the risk of a subsequent atlantoaxial subluxation or dislocation. Osteomyelitis at this level is often seen in immunocompromised patients with, intravenous drug use or infective endocarditis. Atlantoaxial subluxation associated with pharyngeal infection or its surrounding tissues is called Grisel's syndrome. We report the case of a 29-year-old man diagnosed with infectious cervico-occipital osteoarthritis complicated by atlantoaxial dislocation, abscesses located in the retropharyngeal space, and the prevertebral space as well as upper cervical epiduritis. Our purpose is to highlight the role of radiologists in diagnosing this rare yet deadly condition.

An uncommon cause of retropharyngeal abscess in adults: Cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) represents a rare and life-threatening condition, particularly uncommon in the adult population. The simultaneous occurrence of RPA, and cervical spondylodiscitis is an exceedingly infrequent situation. CASE PRESENTATION: we reported the case of a 67-year-old male who presented to our department with complaints of sore throat, restricted neck range of motion, as well as numbness and weakness in the right arm persisting for two weeks. Cervical computed tomography identified a retropharyngeal abscess measuring 15 cm in height around C3 to D3. Subsequent cervical magnetic resonance imaging disclosed revealed infectious spondylodiscitis at C5-C6-C7 and partially collected epiduritis from C5 to C7. The abscess was promptly drained by the transoral way. Following the procedures, the patient was discharged with a cervical collar and a prescribed course of antibiotics. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Cervical retropharyngeal abscesses complicating spondylodiscitis is very rare. The clinical symptoms are variable and nonspecific. Given the potentially life-threatening nature of this condition, its management represents a real challenge. CONCLUSION: The management of such complex cases necessitates a multidisciplinary approach involving otolaryngologists, neurosurgeons, and infectious disease specialists to mitigate the risk of complications and prevent any potential delays in treatment.

Epiduritis related to IgG4 disease: A very rare cause for spinal cord compression.

Background: Inflammatory pseudotumors are rare, and those attributed to immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) diseases are even less frequently encountered. Here, we reviewed 41 cases from the literature of spinal inflammatory pseudotumors due to IgG4 and have added our single new case. Case Presentation: A 25-year-old male presented with progressive back pain, bilateral paraparesis, and sphincter dysfunction. His deficit was attributed to MR-documented posterolateral lesion between the T5 and T10 levels for which he levels underwent a T1-T1010 laminectomy. The pathology revealed an immunoglobulin G4-related inflammatory pseudotumor. Postoperatively, the patient additionally required systemic and epidural administration of glucocorticoids. Conclusion: IgG4-related disease is an emerging clinical condition that rarely involves the central nervous system. Spinal inflammatory pseudotumors, including IgG4 disease, should be more commonly considered among the potential differential diagnoses of lesions compressing the spinal cord.

Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of metastatic spinal cord compression in prostate cancer patients in two tertiary hospitals in Cameroon.

Introduction: prostate cancer represents the 3rd primary neoplasia responsible for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). MSCC is an extreme oncological emergency, because it involves both functional and vital prognosis. The present study aimed to establish a pattern of MSCC in prostate cancer patients in Douala and Yaoundé general hospitals (Cameroon). Methods: this was a descriptive and retrospective study in the Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology services at both Douala and Yaoundé General Hospitals. The explored variables were general characteristics of the study population, clinical and paraclinical features, management and outcomes. Furthermore 5-year survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Logistic regression by determining the odd ratios and their 95% confidence was done using "Statistical Package for Social Sciences" (SPSS 23) software. The difference was considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: our series consisted of 151 patients out of which the mean age was 66.88 (SD: 8.71) years (95% CI: 44-88). Pain was the most common clinical symptom (53.33%; n= 80) and fracture-settlement accounted for majority (60%; n= 90.61) of the pain. Thoracic spine damage was encountered by 47.02% (n= 71). Patients received a total doses of irradiation between 20 and 30 gray (Gy). The main toxicity due to radiotherapy were asthenia (45.70%; n= 69.11). The overall survival at 5 years was 90.11%. Factors associated with fracture-settlement were smoking (aOR 10.04, 95% CI: 2.09-48.12; p = 0.004) and the localization of MSCC occurred (aOR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.05-0.77; p = 0.02). Conclusion: in summary the average age for developing the condition is 66.88 years and factors associated with fracture-settlement were smoking and the localization of MSCC. Back pain was the most common clinical sign and fracture-settlement was the first type of injury on medical magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, we recommend that emphasis should be placed on increasing awareness of the population on the importance of early diagnosis.

Approaching spinal metastases spread profile.

BACKGROUND: Spinal metastases cause significant morbidity. The vertebral column is the most common site of cancer metastasis, however predilection of metastases for the spine is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present investigation was to obtain a better description of the distribution of spinal metastases. The main objective of our study was to figure out how malignant cells disseminate within the spine and determine a potent mapping or profile of the metastatic spread routes. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective French national multicenter database. METHODS: 740 consecutive patients were treated for spine metastasis (SpM) between January 2014 and 2017. A categorisation of the anatomical distribution of spine lesions was conducted. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy patients (22.9% of series) presented cervical SpM, 440 (60%) lumbar SpM, and a majority 530 (71.6%) at the thoracic vertebral level. Metastases were more often present in the vertebral body (645 patients, 87.2%) than in a posterior location (278 patients, 37.6%, p < 0.0001). 212/740 patients (28.6%) presented circumferential spine involvement (body and posterior elements). An associated epiduritis was presented in 404 patients (54.6%). Primitive neck tumors spread towards the cervical spine: ENT (34.8%, p = 0.049), thyroid (33.3%, p = 0.043) whereas pelvic tumors targeted the lumbar spine: prostate (72%, p = 0.011), bladder (75%, p = 0.047). All tumors presented a tropism for thoracic vertebrae. Significant tumor/vertebrae associations were identified: lung (p = 0.004) and thyroid (p = 0.028) for L1, bladder for L5 (p = 0.0025), breast for C6 (p = 0.006), Prostate for L1-L4 (p = 0.002-0.04), multiple myelomas for C7, p = 0.03, T3-T7 (p < 0.0001-0.025) and L1-L4 (p = 0.004-0.027). Spine was the latest organ affected by metastases with a median-free survival of 4.2 months (SD 1.8, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although we determined that some tumors have a significant propensity to localise at certain vertebral level, it remains premature to conclude on a spinal metastases profile. To date, it is too early to provide recommendations in imaging follow-up or in preventive therapeutic based on this mapping of spine metastases.

[The contribution of MRI in the management of slowly progressive nontraumatic spinal cord compression]. / Apport de l'IRM dans la prise en charge des compressions médullaires lentes non traumatiques.

Slow spinal cord compressions are due to the development of an expansive lesion within the medullary canal. This is a very common condition whose diagnosis is primarily clinical. The magnetic resonance imaging occupies a central and currently irreplaceable position in diagnosis and localization as well as in etiological research. Etiology of cancer is predominant in Europe. This study aims to describe the MRI features of slow spinal cord compressions and to determine its etiologic profile. This is a retrospective study of 97 cases whose data were collected at the Department of Radiology, National University Hospital Centre (CHUN) of Fann, over a period of 30 months (from March 8, 2010 to September 29 2012). All patients referred for slow spinal compression occurred in a non traumatic context were included in the study. The average age of patients was 42.6 years, ranging between 04 months and 85 years. We studied the topography of lesions (spinal floor, ductal compartments), their enhancement and their etiological criteria. The review protocol allowed the realization of T1-weighted sequences with no injection of gado, T2-weighted sequences, STIR sequences and T2-weighted DRIVE sequences centered on lesions levels or suspicious areas. MRI allowed to determine the exact location and the extent of lesions. The involvement of the thoracic spine occurred in 42% of cases, followed by the cervical spine in 32% of cases. The lumbosacral damages and multi-stage damages were found in 18% and 8% of cases respectively. Extradural lesions were found in 87% of cases, followed by intradural extramedullary lesions in 08% of cases and intramedullary lesions in 05% of cases. The peculiarity of etiologic profile of our study is the prevalence of infectious epiduritis and the relative frequency of metastatic epiduritis compared to the Western series. The vertebral-medullary MRI occupies a crucial place in the positive, topographic and etiological diagnosis of spinal cord compressions.

[Metastatic epiduritis in neurosurgery: Hospital data from the Abidjan teaching hospital, 2007-2012]. / Les épidurites métastatiques en neurochirurgie : données hospitalières au CHU d'Abidjan de 2007 à 2012.

INTRODUCTION: Metastatic epiduritis is the most frequent extrinsic epidural cause of spinal cord compression. Although neurosurgery is essential to its management, the exact role of this discipline in the treatment of spinal cancer in sub-Saharan Africa has not yet been assessed. AIM: To analyze recent hospital data of patients with metastatic epiduritis managed in the Abidjan neurosurgery department. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a retrospective analysis of files of 56 patients admitted from January 2007 through December 2012. Our data are discussed in the light of the literature. RESULTS: The primary cancers in men were mostly lung (16%) and prostate (34%) cancers, and in women, breast cancer (23%). The two age brackets mainly involved were those aged 31-45 years (21%) and 46-60 years (39%). The reason for admission in all cases was functional disability of the lower limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for 57%. The thoracic topography was dominant (60%), and vertebral damage was often associated with epiduritis (78%). This metastatic epiduritis was the initial sign leading to cancer diagnosis for 39%. Decompressive laminectomy with biopsy or lesionectomy was performed for 62%. Postoperative neurologic improvement was noted for 36%, and remained satisfactory at one year for 14 patients. Prostate-specific hormone therapy was performed for 30%. CONCLUSION: This study underlines the crucial importance of neurosurgery in management of metastatic epiduritis in our center. Our findings emphasize the need to improve access to neuroradiologic diagnostic resources and optimize surgical treatment in the sub-Saharan region.