Diebold Patrick, Humbert James, Djientcheu Vincent de Paul, Gudinchet François, Rilliet Benedict
Service de Pédiatrie, Hôpital du Chablais, CH 1860 Aigle, Switzerland.
J Natl Med Assoc. 2003 Nov;95(11):1095-8.
In patients suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD), bone is a preferred site of infection. We report the case of a five-year-and-eight-month-old black African boy with homozygous-SS disease who developed a cranial epidural abscess. This intracranial infectious complication originated from a Salmonella enteritidis osteitis of the frontal bone. Antibiotic treatment alone did not control the disease, so surgery was necessary to remove the necrotic bone and to evacuate the epidural pus. The numerous factors interfering with normal healing of a septic focus in sickle cell anemia, particularly in this previously undescribed intracranial complication, emphasize the need for a primary and early surgical treatment in similar situations.