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Epidural abscess - Symptom

Alternative Names

Abscess - epidural; Spinal abscess

Symptoms:

Spinal epidural abscess:

Bowel or bladder incontinence
Difficulty urinating (urinary retention)
Fever and back pain

Intracranial epidural abscess:

Fever
Headache
Lethargy
Nausea and vomiting
Pain at the site of recent surgery that gets worse (especially if fever is present)

Neurological symptoms depend on the location of the abscess and may include:

Decreased ability to move any part of the body
Loss of sensation in any area of the body, or abnormal changes in sensation
Paralysis
Weakness

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform an exam to look for a loss of functions such as movement or sensation.

Tests may include:

CT scan
MRI
Sample of the abscess to determine what is causing the infection

Reviewed last on: 9/28/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Unviersity of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicne, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Nath A. Brain abscess and parameningeal infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 438.

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