P3666Spondylitis: a frequent and severe complication of infective endocarditis

Abstract

Abstract Background Spondylodiscitis (SP) is a rare, but severe complication of infective endocarditis (IE). The incidence, clinical features and prognosis of SP in IE are unknown. Purpose The primary objective of our study was to assess the incidence, epidemiology, clinical presentation, prognosis, and therapeutic implications of SP in patient with IE. The secondary objectives were to assess factors associated with occurrence of spondylitis and to assess the value of imaging techniques. Methods In a French bi-center prospective study of patients who presented in our endocarditis reference centers with a diagnosis of definite IE from 1990 to 2018 (n=1755), 150 (8.5%) presented with SP. Clinical, epidemiological, microbiological, and prognostic variables were prospectively recorded and compared between patients with (n=150) and without (n=1605) SP. Results Patients with SP were older (mean age 69.7±18 vs 66.2±14; p=0.004), had more arterial hypertension (48% vs 34,5%; p<0.001) and autoimmune disease (5% vs 2%; p=0.03) than patients without SP. The lumbar vertebrae were the most frequently involved (84 patients, 66%), especially L3-L4. Neurological symptoms were observed in 59% of patients. Enterococci et Gallolyticus streptococci were more frequent (24% vs 12% and 24% vs 11%; p<0,001, respectively) in the SP group. Observed sensitivities of full spine contrast-enhanced MRI and CT were 95% and 89%, respectively. PET/CT had a great power to differentiate infective to degenerative vertebral processes, and to find embolic foci with a sensitivity of 90%. Clinical outcome did not differ between patients with or without SP, including similar in-hospital mortality (16% vs 13,5%, p=0.38). Conclusions We describe the largest ever reported series of patients with spondylodiscitis complicating IE. Spondylodiscitis is a more frequent complication of IE than previously reported (8.5% of IE), is observed in older hypertensive patients with Enterococcal or Streptococcus gallolyticus IE and has a similar prognosis than other forms of IE. Since SP is associated with prolonged antibiotic therapy and may need specific surgical therapy, multimodality imaging including MRI, CT, and PET/CT should be used for early diagnosis of this IE complication.