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Intramedullary holocord abscess secondary to infected dermoid cyst

  • Case Report - Spine
  • Published:
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Abstract

In the literature, less than ten cases of holocord intramedullary abscess in children have been described. A 15-month-old girl presented with flaccid paraplegia and dermal sinus in the sacral region. MRI highlighted an infected lumbar dermoid cyst. The child underwent surgery to remove the cyst and purulent collection. Five days after surgery, she developed upper limbs paresis. An MRI showed a holocord abscess. A catheter was inserted through a cervical myelotomy into the abscess for drainage with a good postoperative recovery. A rapid management, even for extended or recurrent intramedullary abscess, can prevent potential severe neurological dysfunctions.

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Abbreviations

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Dorota Tassigny, Edward Fomekong, Guus Koerts & Christian Raftopoulos

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  1. Dorota Tassigny
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  2. Edward Fomekong
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  3. Guus Koerts
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  4. Christian Raftopoulos
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Correspondence to Christian Raftopoulos.

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Tassigny, D., Fomekong, E., Koerts, G. et al. Intramedullary holocord abscess secondary to infected dermoid cyst. Acta Neurochir 160, 209–212 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-017-3406-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-017-3406-7

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