Nihon Jibiinkoka Gakkai kaiho
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Nippon Jibiinkoka Gakkai Kaiho · Dec 2013
Review Case Reports[Case of pyogenic spondylitis and epidural abscess after chemoradiotherapy for hypopharyngeal cancer].
Osteomyelitis is one of the most severe late complications of radiation therapy. The condition can arise from osteoradionecrosis and can be fatal if it occurrs in vertebrae. A 71-year-old woman, who had undergone chemoradiotherapy for hypopharyngeal cancer 6 months previously, presented with severe neck pain. ⋯ Severe neck pain and a limitation in the range of motion of the neck are considered to be serious clinical features of osteomyelitis. Since infection in the necrotic mucosa leads to pyogenic spondylitis, a repeated cultivation survey of the mucosa is nessesary for adequate antibiotics therapy. For osteomyelitis and epidural abscess following radiation therapy, immediate specific surgical treatment of the involved region is strongly suggested if antibiotics are not effective or spinal cord compression develops.