Teaching NeuroImages: multiple epidural abscesses after acupuncture.

A rare case of multiple spinal epidural abscesses and cauda equina syndrome presenting to the emergency department following acupuncture

BACKGROUND Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine being increasingly used as complementary therapy in many countries. It is relatively safe and rarely associated with deep infections. CASE PRESENTATION In this case report, we describe a middle-aged Chinese patient who presented acutely to our emergency department with cauda equina syndrome secondary to acupuncture-related epidu...

Teaching NeuroImages: Posttraumatic lumbar epidural hematoma.

Destruction of the C2 Body due to Cervical Actinomycosis: Connection between Spinal Epidural Abscess and Retropharyngeal Abscess

Human actinomycosis with involvement of the spine is a rare condition, with only a limited number of case reports published. To the best of our knowledge, no cases have been reported of epidural abscess causing destruction of the C2 body, bringing about a direct connection between spinal epidural and retropharyngeal abscesses. Here, we present such a case that occurred after acupuncture, and we...

Teaching NeuroImages: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma with spot sign positivity.

Teaching NeuroImages: Idiopathic hypertrophic spinal pachymeningitis mimicking epidural lymphoma.

A 41-year-old man presented with bilateral leg numbness and paraparesis for 3 months. MRI showed a circumferential long epidural mass extending from T2 to T4 level (figure 1). Histologic examination demonstrated dense fibrous tissue with inflammatory infiltrate (figure 2). By exclusion of trauma, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases, idiopathic hypertrophic spinal pachymeningitis (IHSP)...