Nonsurgical treatment of spinal epidural abscess: report of a case

Abstract

Traditionally, the treatment of choice for spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is decompressive laminectomy and debridement followed by antibiotics. In recent years, nonsurgical treatment in selected cases has been reported. This report describes a 39-year-old man with lumbar SEA diagnosed by computed tomographic-myelography. In the absence of neurological deficit and the presence of infective endocarditis and a known pathogen, the patient received only antibiotic treatment and made an uneventful recovery.