Abstract

Spinal infections in immunocompetent children are very rare. But it is a serious infection in the epidural space along the spinal cord. It should be considered in patients with backache, fever, neurological deficits and/or spinal tenderness. There are cases which an etiology could not determined. In the English medical literature, there are only 31 reported pediatric cases in the last two decades. In children with neurologic deficits, surgery combined with systemic antibiotics constitutes the optimal therapy. We report a case of thoracal spinal epidural abscess in a 12-year-old adolescent boy who was immunocompetent and presented with spinal tenderness, back pain and four days of fever. A spinal magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an epidural abscess between T2 and T10 level. An emergent surgical intervention was applied. Cultures remained negative. He was given systemic antibiotics for six weeks. He recovered without any sequelae.