Gout of the Lumbar Spine Mimicking Spondylodiscitis
and Epidural Abscess
Title: Tophaceous gout of the lumbar spine mimicking
infectious spondylodiscitis and epidural abscess: MR imaging findings.
Authors: Yen PS, et al.
Publication: J Clin Neurosci. 2005 Jan;12(1):44-6.
The authors reported a case of surgically proven presence of
gout deposit (tophus) in the spine at the L5-S1 vertebrae that
mimicked spondylodiscitis and epidural abscess in the magnetic
resonance (MR) imaging.
The authors wanted doctors to be aware of the possibility of
gout in mimicking other diseases when diagnosing patients with
chronic back pain.
Editor’s note: spondylodiscitis or spondylitises is the
inflammation of the vertebrae. Epidural abscess is pus-filled
inflammation of the dura mater or membrane that covers the spinal
cord.
