Spinal osteomyelitis presenting with a life-threatening pleural empyema

Spondylodiscitis initially presenting as exudative pleural effusion: A case report and review of the literature

Pleural effusions are associated with a variety of disease states, rendering the differential diagnosis challenging. Spondylodiscitis is an uncommon disease, and its prompt diagnosis can reduce morbidity and mortality. However, an atypical manifestation of the disease, such as pleural effusion, can result in delayed diagnosis. A 76-year-old woman presented with back pain and right pleural effusion. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed paravertebral soft tissue infiltration, with enhancement of bone marrow and intervertebral disk at the T8 and T9 levels, suggesting spondylodiscitis. In patients with exudative pleural effusion, spondylodiscitis may be the cause, so careful analysis of imaging is necessary.

Compressive thoracic spondylodiscitis associated with a pleural abscess: Surgical treatment through an enlarged posterior approach

The authors report a case of a patient with paraparesis secondary to T5-T6 spondylodiscitis accompanied by a closely lying, well-formed pleural abscess. This rare association has previously been reported only twice in the literature. The technical difficulty of surgery for both the abscess and the compressive spondylodiscitis was resolved by the use of an enlarged posterior approach. This approach enabled evacuation of the pleural lesion, curettage of the disc space, interbody grafting, and spinal osteosynthesis in one stage.