Klebsiella pneumoniae Spinal Epidural Abscess treated conservatively: case report and review

Spinal infections are rare but potentially life-threate -ning disorders. A high level of clinical suspicion isneces sary for rapid diagnosis and treatment initiation.The treatment combines both antibiotics and surgicalintervention in the vast majority of cases. The authorsreport the case of a 84-year old female patient with athree week history of persistent lumbar back pain radiatingto both thighs following a lower respiratory tractinfection. She had lumbar spine tenderness but no neurologicalcompromise. Her inflammatory markers wereelevated and lumbar spine magnetic resonance imagingrevealed L4-L5 spondylodiscitis with spinal epiduralabscess. Blood cultures isolated Klebsiella pneumoniaeand, since she was neurologically stable, conservativetreatment with two-week intravenous gentamicin andeight-week intravenous ceftriaxone was initiated withpositive inpatient and outpatient evolution.