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Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bridges, KJ; Bullis, CL; Wanchu, A; Than, KD
Published in: J Neurosurg Spine
August 2017

Pseudogout is a form of acute calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease that typically afflicts the elderly. CPPD commonly involves larger joints, such as the knees, wrists, shoulders, and hips, and has been known to involve the spine. The authors report the case of a 66-year-old woman with a recent history of lumbar laminectomy and fusion who presented 5 weeks postprocedure with a clinical and radiographic picture consistent with multilevel skip lesions involving the cervical and thoracic spine, thoracic discitis, and epidural abscess. Serial blood cultures and repeat biopsy samples were sterile. Subsequent wrist and ankle erythema, pain, and swelling led to synovial fluid analysis, and pseudogout was diagnosed. She was treated with an interleukin-1 inhibitor with immediate symptom relief. To the authors' knowledge, this is only the second report of spinal pseudogout presenting with a clinical and radiographic picture consistent with discitis and epidural abscess. This report is the first to report skip lesions of pseudogout occurring throughout the spine that are uniquely remote from a recent lumbar surgery.

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Published In

J Neurosurg Spine

DOI

EISSN

1547-5646

Publication Date

August 2017

Volume

27

Issue

2

Start / End Page

145 / 149

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Thoracic Vertebrae
  • Spinal Fusion
  • Spinal Diseases
  • Postoperative Complications
  • Orthopedics
  • Lumbar Vertebrae
  • Laminectomy
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Diagnosis, Differential
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Bridges, K. J., Bullis, C. L., Wanchu, A., & Than, K. D. (2017). Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report. J Neurosurg Spine, 27(2), 145–149. https://doi.org/10.3171/2016.12.SPINE16979
Bridges, Kelly J., Carli L. Bullis, Ajay Wanchu, and Khoi D. Than. “Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report.J Neurosurg Spine 27, no. 2 (August 2017): 145–49. https://doi.org/10.3171/2016.12.SPINE16979.
Bridges KJ, Bullis CL, Wanchu A, Than KD. Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report. J Neurosurg Spine. 2017 Aug;27(2):145–9.
Bridges, Kelly J., et al. “Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report.J Neurosurg Spine, vol. 27, no. 2, Aug. 2017, pp. 145–49. Pubmed, doi:10.3171/2016.12.SPINE16979.
Bridges KJ, Bullis CL, Wanchu A, Than KD. Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report. J Neurosurg Spine. 2017 Aug;27(2):145–149.

Published In

J Neurosurg Spine

DOI

EISSN

1547-5646

Publication Date

August 2017

Volume

27

Issue

2

Start / End Page

145 / 149

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Thoracic Vertebrae
  • Spinal Fusion
  • Spinal Diseases
  • Postoperative Complications
  • Orthopedics
  • Lumbar Vertebrae
  • Laminectomy
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Diagnosis, Differential