Disseminated coccidioidomycosis of the spine

Abstract

A 27-year-old man presented with neck pain. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the cervical spine showed near-complete destruction of the C5 vertebral body with focal kyphosis (Fig. 1). Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large retropharyngeal abscess with no evidence of epidural abscess or spinal cord compression (Fig. 2). Results of the CT-guided needle biopsy were positive for Coccidioides immitis. The patient underwent drainage of retropharyngeal abscess, C5 corpectomy, C4–6 arthrodesis with fibular allograft, and instrumentation.