Spondylodiscitis developing in a young man – diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties

Abstract

Infectious spondylodiscitis is characterized by vertebral osteomyelitis, spondylitis, and discitis. Patients present with persistent low back pain, fever, or neurological findings. Diagnosis is made with a combination of clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings. Magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) has high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis and differentiation of the type of spondylodiscitis and may reveal signs of spondylodiscitis even in very early stages. Infectious spondylodiscitis responds to antimicrobial therapy well if diagnosed early before development of neurological deficit and requirement of surgical intervention. We present a clinical case of spondylodiscitis developing in a young immunocompetent man without any predisposing factors.

Keywords

• Staphylococcus aureus
• infectious spondylodiscitis
• magnetic resonance tomography