Emphysematous Osteomyelitis of the Spine: A Case Report and Literature Review

Overview

Journal Intern Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2018 Mar 13

PMID 29526940

Citations 15

Authors

Ryohei Ono

Koji Uehara

Izumi Kitagawa

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Emphysematous osteomyelitis is a rare but potentially fatal infection. It is caused by gas-forming organisms and is characterized by the presence of intraosseous gas. A 75-year-old woman with untreated diabetes mellitus presented with difficulty in moving and anorexia. Laboratory studies revealed inflammation, a urinary infection, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected in both urine and blood cultures. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed emphysematous lesions in the paravertebral soft tissue, spinal canal, and iliopsoas muscle, with intraosseous gas at L1 and L2. These findings led to a diagnosis of emphysematous osteomyelitis. We herein review 35 reported cases of emphysematous osteomyelitis including our case.

Citing Articles

Rare Emphysematous Osteomyelitis of the Femoral Head: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Xu Y, Wu G, Zhang G, Li D, Zhang L, Yang W Infect Drug Resist. 2025; 18:1279-1285.

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A Rare Case of Emphysematous Osteomyelitis With Concurrent Septic Arthritis.

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Multifocal emphysematous osteomyelitis, a do not miss diagnosis for the emergency radiologist: a case report with literature review.

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Pneumorrhachis Secondary to Klebsiella pneumoniae Gas-Forming Paraspinal Abscess: A Case report and Review of Literature.

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Lemierre Syndrome Complicated by Emphysematous Osteomyelitis.

Cotton J, Lang F, Onyilofor C, Ritter A, Gunaratne S Cureus. 2023; 15(8):e43719.

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