Brucellar spondylo-discitis with rapidly progressive spinal epidural abscess presenting with sciatica

Abstract

Case report. To present a patient with spinal brucellosis, which was initially presented with sciatica and misdiagnosed as a lumbar disc herniation owing to nonspecific neurological and radiological findings. The delay in diagnosis led to rapid progression of the disease and complications. Department of Neurosurgery at a tertiary university teaching hospital (Sutcu Imam University Medical Center in Turkey). A 57-year-old woman with a history of low-back pain for 6 months, fatigue, and severe left-sided sciatica for the last 3 months presented to our hospital. Three months earlier, at another hospital, she had had a negative Rose-Bengal test for brucellosis and a lumbar computed tomography performed at that time showed only minimal L4-5 annular bulging. For 2 months, she was treated with analgesics for 'lumbar disc herniation' without relief of pain. On presentation to our department, her magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination showed edema and minimal annular bulging at L3-4 and L4-5. When her Rose-Bengal test returned positive, she was started on triple antibiotics for presumed Brucella infection. When symptoms and neurologic signs worsened while taking antibiotics, repeat MRI scan showed a spinal epidural abscess at the L4-5 level. Emergent surgery and 8 weeks of antibiotics resulted in cure. In areas endemic for brucellosis, subtle historical and exam features should be sought to exclude an infection such as brucellar sponylo-discitis. Appropriate serological tests should be readily available to confirm or exclude this diagnosis in selected patients, to avoid delays in antibiotic treatment.