Surgical treatment of delayed cervical infection and incomplete quadriplegia with fish-bone ingestion:A case report

BACKGROUND The most commonly ingested foreign body in Asians is fish bone.The vast majority of patients have obvious symptoms and can be timely diagnosed and treated.Cases of pyogenic cervical spondylitis and diskitis with retropharyngeal and epidural abscess resulting in incomplete quadriplegia due to foreign body ingestion have been rarely reported.The absence of pharyngeal or esophageal discomfort and negative computed tomography(CT)findings of fish bone have not been reported.We report the case of an elderly female patient with delayed cervical infection and incomplete quadriplegia who had a history of fish bone ingestion.CASE SUMMARY A 73-year-old woman presented with right neck pain and weakness of four limbs for a week,and had a history of fish bone ingestion and negative findings on laryngoscopic examination one month previously.She did not complain of any pharyngeal or esophageal discomfort.Cervical magnetic resonance imaging showed C4/C5 spondylitis and diskitis along with retropharyngeal and ventral epidural abscesses.No sign of fish bone was detected on lateral cervical radiography and CT scans.The muscle strength of the patient’s right lower limb receded to grade 1 and other limbs to grade 2 suddenly on the 10th day of hospitalization.Emergency surgery was performed to drain the abscess and decompress the spinal cord by removing the anterior inflammatory necrotic tissue.Simultaneously,flexible esophagogastroduodenoscopy was carried out and a hole in the posterior pharyngeal wall was found.The motor weakness of the right lower limb improved to grade 3 and the other limbs to grade 4 within 2 d postoperatively.CONCLUSION This rare case highlights the awareness of the posterior pharyngeal or esophageal wall perforation in patients with cervical pyogenic spondylitis along with a history of fish bone ingestion,even though local discomfort symptoms are absent and the radiological examinations are negative.

Upper Cervical Spine Infection. Complication of Hypopharyngeal Injury

Background: We describe a rare case of Candida albicans retropharyngeal infection with upper cervical spondylodiscitis associated with epidural abscess triggered by ingestion of a chicken bone. Case Description: A 63-year-old woman presented with posterior neck and bilateral shoulders pain three weeks after choking on a 2-centimeter chicken bone. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed spondylodiscitis and epidural abscess with significant spinal cord compression at C2 and C3 levels. A Barium swallow showed a focal disruption of the posterior wall of the esophagus. A posterior upper cervical fixation (C2-C5) was initially performed. One week later an anterior decompressive procedure was carried out followed by iliac crest bony fusion, and repair of the esophageal defect. Intra-operative cultures showed heavy growth of Candida albicans. After a transitory post-operative neurologic worsening, and after six weeks of appropriate antifungal therapy, the patient achieved a full clinical and radiologic recovery. Conclusion: Prompt surgical debridement, fusion and stabilization combined with adequate antimicrobial agents are necessary to guarantee a good outcome and reverse the neurological deficits.