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Ency. home > Disease > E > Epidural abscess

Epidural abscess   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Abscess - epidural

Symptoms

Spinal epidural abscess:

  • Fever and back pain (the back pain may be confined to the spine or may radiate to the extremities, the arms or legs)
  • Bowel or bladder incontinence
  • Difficulty urinating (urinary retention)

Intracranial epidural abscess:

  • Headache, fever, lethargy, nausea & vomiting (if associated with sinusitis or chronic ear infections, there may be localized pain in those areas)
  • Progressive pain at the site of recent surgery (neurosurgery) especially if accompanied by fever
  • Neurological symptoms depending on the location of the abscess which can be varied and include:

Signs and Tests

Persistent back pain with fever or headache with fever should lead to medical evaluation including a neurological exam to look for focal neurological deficits (loss of neurologic functions such as movement or sensation).

Tests such as CT (cat scan) or MRI are frequently needed to confirm the presence of epidural abcess.

To establish a diagnosis of the underlying infection causing the abscess, sampling of the abscess is usually needed.

Ency. home > Disease > E > Epidural abscess

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