Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with spinal pus and bone infection causing paralysis
By Kinoshita, Kosuke et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2022·Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Spinal epidural empyema concurrent with sequestrum in a cat: a case report.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-month-old female mixed cat was brought in for repeated episodes of not being able to use her back legs and pus draining from her back, despite being on antibiotics. After imaging tests, the vet found an infection in her spinal canal along with infected bone fragments. The cat underwent surgery to remove the infected area and bone pieces. She was able to walk the very next day and showed no neurological issues a month later.
People also search for: cat back leg paralysis · cat spinal infection treatment · cat surgery recovery time
Abstract
A 5-month-old intact female mixed cat presented with repetitive paraplegia and drainage of pus from the back despite continuous antibiotic medication. Neurologic examination was consistent with below T3-L3 myelopathy. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhanced mass in the L1-3 spinal canal, and bone fragments in the T13 and L1 spinal canal. Spinal epidural empyema was suspected, and hemilaminectomy was performed for T12-L2 on the right side and T11-12 on the left side. Bone fragments were diagnosed as sequestrum infected with Bacteroides sp. The cat recovered enough to ambulate next day. One month after surgery, there was no deficit in neurological function. This is the first report of spinal epidural empyema concurrent with sequestrum in a cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35989304/