An Pediatr (Barc). 2009 Aug 31; Tapia Moreno R, Espinosa Fernández MG, MartÃnez León MI, González Gómez JM, Moreno Pascual PINTRODUCTION: Spondylodiscitis is an uncommon disease in children. It is often misdiagnosed or the diagnosis is made late in the course of illness. OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical, analytical and radiological characteristics of children with spondylodiscitis in the Materno-Infantil Hospital of Malaga. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study on children diagnosed with spondylodiscitis, during a period of 11 years. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were included in the study. Spondylodiscitis was more frequent in patients younger than 3 years old and older than 12 years old. The average time of delay in diagnosis was 26.9 days. In 8 cases the diagnosis was missed initially. Three clinical patterns appeared: in children under 3 years of age, refusing to walk and sit (100%) and irritability (42%); between 3 and 12 years of age, limb (100%) and abdominal pain (100%); in adolescents, back pain (75%). Fever was present in 38% of the cases, and low-grade fever in 8 (44%). A total of 50% of the patients had a moderate leucocytosis, and a slight increase in ESR; the most frequent location was L3-L4. X-ray diagnosis was pathological in 88% of the cases. The initial MRI diagnosed 100% of the cases. In addition, nerve roots damage (5 cases), inflammatory masses/paravertebral abscesses (5), epidural abscess (1) and psoas abscesses (2) were detected. A total of 94% of the children received antibiotics and 100% of the children underwent immobilization. All patients recovered early after the beginning of treatment, with the exception of those affected by psoas abscesses. The radiological follow-up was done in 17 patients (12 by MRI). After a mean of 14 months (rank 1-48), persistent diminution of disc space was seen in 100% of the children, and improvement of soft-tissue inflammation. Clinically (follow-up only in 11 patients) all patients regained normal mobility and only 27% had moderate pain. CONCLUSION: Spondylodiscitis, whose delay in the diagnosis is frequent, is a serious illness. Complications include abscesses and nerve root damage. MRI is the study of choice to determine the extension to neighbouring tissues.
