[Spondylodiscitis in children: a review. A propos of two cases]

Abstract

Spondylodiscitis is defined as an infection of the intervertebral disc and the adjacent vertebral bodies. It represents, at the most, 2-4% of osteoarticular infections in children and its clinical presentation is often insidious. The specific condition of the young child (isolated discitis) is explained by some anatomical peculiarities. We report two cases of spondylodiscitis in children of different ages and review the pediatric characteristics, the role of imaging, the bacteriological diagnosis and the management of this disease.