Hardware infection

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-6-2018

Publication Title

Appl Radiol

Abstract

A 70-year-old man underwent a T9-T10 facetectomy with instrumented back fusion. Postoperatively, he developed a bowel obstruction and was found to have a rectal squamous cell carcinoma. Emergency resection was performed followed by chemoradiation.

A follow-up PET/CT was obtained 4 months’ status post-resection, which demonstrated suspicious uptake around the thoracic spine hardware. The ordering physician was notified of a potential hardware infection, but at that time, the patient was asymptomatic and had been recently seen in clinic without any evidence to suggest infection. Within 1 week following the PET/CT, the patient presented with a new abscess and drainage from his incision site. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were both elevated. Cultures from the abscess grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The patient was taken back to the OR for debridement and hardware removal. He eventually made a full recovery after a prolonged course of antibiotics.

Volume

47

Issue

7

First Page

40

Last Page

41

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