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Spondylodiscitis in a patient on chronic hemodialysis

Nature Reviews Nephrology volume 7, pages 599–604 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Background. A 73-year-old man on hemodialysis with a tunneled central venous catheter presented to the emergency room with a fever and severe back pain.

Investigations. Physical examination, laboratory investigations, chest radiography, lumbar spine radiography, renal ultrasound, lumbosacral spine MRI and transthoracic echocardiography.

Diagnosis. Spondylodiscitis as a result of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Management. Antibiotic therapy with intravenous cefazolin for 6 weeks and oral minocycline for 2 weeks.

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Figure 1: MRI of the lumbosacral spine.
Figure 2: General approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with spondylodiscitis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology, VA North Texas Health Care System, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 4500 South Lancaster Road, Dallas, 75390-8856, TX, USA

    Masoud Afshar & Robert F. Reilly

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  1. Masoud Afshar
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  2. Robert F. Reilly
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Contributions

M. Afshar and R. F. Reilly contributed equally to researching data to include in the manuscript, discussion of content, writing, and reviewing and editing the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Robert F. Reilly.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Afshar, M., Reilly, R. Spondylodiscitis in a patient on chronic hemodialysis. Nat Rev Nephrol 7, 599–604 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2011.105

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