A Case of Deep Neck Infection and Spinal Cord Abscess Related With Acupuncture

Abstract

A 66-year-old male patient was initially diagnosed with prevertebral and retroperitoneal abscess after cervical acupuncture. The patient underwent cervical incision and drainage, and abdominal percutaneous drainage. During postoperative care, quadriplegia was developed, and an epidural abscess of the spinal cord was identified at the fifth and sixth cervical vertebra. Urgent decompression and drainage for spinal cord abscess was performed. Sixteen weeks after decompression, quadriplegia was improved and the patient was able to walk by himself. We report, along with a literature review, a case of multiple abscesses including spinal cord abscess that developed after a cervical acupuncture.