J Korean Orthop Assoc.  1997 Nov;32(6):1424-1430.

Salmonella Spondylitis on Thoracic Spine: A Case Report

• Song KJ
• Lee KR

Abstract

We report a case of bacteriologically proven salmonella infection on the thoracic vertebra in a patient with previous history of pulmonary tuberculosis, in the non-endemic area with no history of sickle cell disease and typhoid fever. A forty-three years old female patient was admitted because of severe back pain, chest pain, lower extremity weakness and intermittent high fever elevation. On plain X-ray there was narrowing of T11-12 disc space with adjacent vertebral body destruction localized centrally around the disc and paravertebral abscess. She had an old history of pulmonary tuberculosis and treated with antituberculosis medication twenty years ago. We treated this patient by abscess drainage, anterior curettage and iliac corticocancellous strut bone graft over the T11 to T12 by anterior transthoracic approach. Histopathological diagnosis was chronic vertebral osteomyelitis with chronic inflammatory reaction. Pus culture reported to have grown salmonella typhi group D, sensitive to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin and tetracycline. We could establish the diagnosis and effectively treat the disease with early surgical intervention.

Keyword

Thoracic spine; Salmonella Spondylitis; Anterior curettage; Fusion

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Ampicillin
Anemia, Sickle Cell
Back Pain
Chest Pain
Chloramphenicol
Curettage
Diagnosis
Drainage
Female
Fever
Gentamicins
Humans
Lower Extremity
Osteomyelitis
Salmonella Infections
Salmonella typhi
Salmonella*
Spine*
Spondylitis*
Suppuration
Tetracycline
Transplants
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
Typhoid Fever
Ampicillin
Chloramphenicol
Gentamicins
Tetracycline