Panspinal epidural abscess secondary to vertebral osteomyelitis

Spinal epidural abscess is an unusual but potentially devastating condition that constitutes a neurosurgical emergency. Early diagnosis is imperative as delays in therapy commonly result in irreversible neurologic impairment, or death. We present the case of a 52 year old man with a panspinal epidural abscess secondary to lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis. This is only the third case of panspinal epidural abscess reported in the literature. Urgent decompression and prolonged intravenous antibiotics resulted in full recovery. 1994 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine