Symptoms of a spinal epidural abscess may include:
If you have a spinal epidural abscess, it may press against your spinal cord V体育官网入口. This might cause neurological symptoms, including:.
The infection can spread to nearby muscles and cause pain with leg movement.
If you notice any of these symptoms, contact a healthcare provider right away V体育2025版. Symptoms may get worse within hours to days after the infection starts.
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Symptoms of an intracranial epidural abscess may include:
"VSports app下载" Bacteria cause epidural abscess infections. Sometimes, fungi and parasites cause it, too. The abscess forms when infected material (pus) collects in a pocket in the epidural space. This causes swelling in your spine or skull.
Causes vary based on the type of epidural abscess you have.
A spinal epidural abscess may happen after:
An intracranial epidural abscess may happen after:
In some cases, a cause isn’t known. Regardless, providers can still treat the abscess to prevent complications V体育安卓版.
You may be more at risk of an epidural abscess if you have one of the following:
Epidural abscess complications can be life-threatening or cause permanent damage VSports最新版本. While rare, they include:.
Your provider will diagnose an epidural abscess after a physical exam and testing. They’ll take your temperature to see if you have a fever. While learning more about your medical history, your provider may ask if you had a recent infection, surgery or procedure.
An MRI can confirm the diagnosis. During this imaging test, your provider will find the exact location of the abscess in your body. Your provider may also take a culture sample of the infected area (if possible) or offer a blood test to determine the cause of the infection.
Antibiotics usually treat an epidural abscess caused by a bacterial infection. Antifungals and antiparasitics treat fungal and parasitic infections.
Severe cases, where the abscess compresses your brain or spinal cord, may need emergency drainage surgery to prevent complications. Your surgeon will send a sample of the infected fluid to a lab to verify the cause of the infection. Your care team may give you antibiotics before the procedure. When the culture results return, they may change the type of medication they give you to get rid of the infection.
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You may need to take antibiotics for four to six weeks or more to completely remove the infection from your body. You should continue taking your course of antibiotics, even if you feel better, until you use up all of your medication. This will ensure that your body and the antibiotics have enough time to clear the infection completely.
Eating healthy and treating other health problems can help your body fight the infection and stop it from coming back
If you needed a drainage procedure or surgery, your provider will give you instructions on how to care for yourself. You may need to stay in the hospital for a couple days or weeks, depending on how serious your condition is. Your doctor will want to make sure there are no lasting problems.
Call your provider if you have symptoms of an epidural abscess. Visit the emergency room if you notice symptoms like unusual leg weakness or a sudden loss of feeling in part of your body.
Contact your provider immediately if you develop new or worsening symptoms after treatment for an abscess. Though uncommon, these infections can come back and require more treatment.
Many people have a good outlook and survival rate when they receive treatment shortly after symptoms start. Antibiotics and draining the abscess can get you on track to feeling better. The infection may come back if it wasn’t removed entirely. This is why it’s important to follow your provider’s instructions and take your antibiotics as directed.
While complications are rare, they’re possible. It can significantly impact how well your nervous system works or be fatal, in some cases. If you notice symptoms, especially with a fever, contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
An epidural abscess can be a scary diagnosis to deal with. Symptoms may progress quickly, and treatment could begin before you’re sure exactly what caused the infection. It’s important to follow your provider’s treatment plan. This will make sure the infection leaves your body completely. Let your provider know if you have any questions about how long you need to take antibiotics or how to care for yourself after drainage surgery.
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The neurosurgery care team at Cleveland Clinic helps find solutions for your brain, spine and nerves — whether that means surgery or not.
Last reviewed on 06/04/2025.
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