Ann Rehabil Med.  2012 Apr;36(2):282-286. 10.5535/arm.2012.36.2.282.

Back Pain Secondary to Brucella Spondylitis in the Lumbar Region

• Lim KB
• Kwak YG
• Kim DY
• Kim YS
• Kim JA

• KMID: 2266770
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2012.36.2.282

Abstract

Brucellosis is a systemic, infectious disease caused by the bacterial genus Brucella and a common zoonosis that still remains a major health problem in certain parts of the world such as the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, and Latin America. It may involve multiple organs and tissues. Osteoarticular involvement is the most frequent complication of brucellosis, in which the diagnosis of brucellar spondylitis is often difficult since the clinical presentation may be obscured by many other conditions. There are only a few reports on brucellar spondylitis in Korea. Here, we report a case of spondylitis due to brucella in an elderly male.

Keyword

Brucella; Spondylitis; Back pain

MeSH Terms

Aged
Back Pain
Brucella
Brucellosis
Communicable Diseases
Humans
Korea
Latin America
Lumbosacral Region
Male
Mediterranean Region
Middle East
Spondylitis

Figure

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  Fig. 1 A radiograph of the lumbosacral shows a markedly erosive change of the anterior portion of L4 and L5 body.

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  Fig. 2 Whole body bone scan with Tc-99m DPD shows increased radioisotope uptake in L5. DPD: Dicarboxypropane diphosphonate.

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  Fig. 3 Lumbosacral spine contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging shows abnormal signal change with enhancement in L4 and L5 body, anterior longitudinal ligament, posterior longitudinal ligament and ligamentum flavum.

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