Paraspinal Abscess in a Two-year-old Female

• Main Authors: Rachel O’Donnell, Sean Sayani, Phillip Aguìñiga-Navarrete, Daniel Quesada, Kieron Barkataki, Madison Brooke Garrett
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2020-02-01
• Series: Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46n961kj

A paraspinal abscess is an uncommon condition frequently diagnosed late due to equivocal symptoms, which can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Commonly associated risk factors include prior invasive spinal procedures, diabetes mellitus, trauma, chronic steroid use, malnutrition, intravenous drug use and an immunocompromised state. Pediatric paraspinal abscesses are not well documented in the literature. We report a case of a two-year-old female presenting with fevers, lower back pain, and decreased oral intake ultimately diagnosed with isolated lumbar paraspinal abscess. The patient underwent an ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of the abscess, subsequently improving, and was discharged within 48 hours of presentation.