Pediatric Spinal Epidural Abscess: A 9-Year Institutional Review and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare condition that requires prompt diagnosis and initiation of treatment for optimal outcome. Treatment generally consists of surgical intervention and systemic antibiotics. We present 1 of the largest cohorts of nontuberculous pediatric SEA in the English literature, emphasizing the outcomes of conservative (ie, nonoperative) management. We retrospectively identified 9 pediatric patients (≤18 years of age) with SEAs at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital from 2002 to 2011. Cases were reviewed for demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment characteristics and outcomes. The diagnosis of SEA was made by MRI in all cases, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the only identified pathogen, isolated via blood culture in 6 of 9 patients. Although every patient received systemic antibiotics, only 2 had neurosurgical intervention. Four of the 7 patients treated conservatively received computed tomography-guided needle drainage. All patients recovered without significant sequelae. SEA is a potentially fatal illness that necessitates a heightened clinical awareness for diagnosis and treatment. Although official recommendations regarding management in pediatrics are lacking, treatment has generally been surgical decompression and drainage in combination with antibiotics; recent reports have suggested that antibiotic therapy alone may be successful in select patient populations. Although the adult literature has suggested that such management can be trialed in specific situations, only a handful of cases in the pediatric literature have reported this nonoperative approach. We present one of the largest reviews in support of successfully treating SEA with nonsurgical therapy.