Cervical epidural abscess presenting with brown-sequard syndrome in a patient with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

An 80-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes was admitted due to right-handed muscle weakness. The patient presented with Brown-Sequard syndrome, with complete paralysis of the right lower limb along with a loss of pain and temperature sensations in the left lower limb. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cervical epidural abscess, and accompanying edema or inflammation of the right side of the spinal cord at the C5 level. She underwent drainage and evacuation of the spinal abscess, followed by intravenous antibiotic administration. These interventions ameliorated the neurological deficits. The present case suggests the importance of epidural abscess as a rare pathogenetic cause of Brown-Sequard syndrome in type 2 diabetes. © 2010 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.