Spinal epidural abscess epidemiology
The incidence of spinal epidural abscess (SEA) has doubled in the past decade, owing to an aging population and to increased use of spinal instrumentation and vascular access.
Incidence: 0.2–1.2 per 10,000 hospital admissions annually 1). possibly on the rise 2) Average age: 57.5 ± 16.6 years 3). Thoracic level is the most common site (≈ 50%), followed by lumbar (35%) then cervical 82% were posterior to the cord, and 18% anterior in one series 4). SEA may span from 1 to 13 levels 5).
Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is often associated with vertebral osteomyelitis (in one series of 40 cases, osteomyelitis occurred in all cases of anterior SEA, in 85% of circumferential SEA, and no cases of posterior SEA) and intervertebral discitis.
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