Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40419701›Full record

ReviewChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2025

Spinal epidural abscess in an adolescent male: an unusual etiology and the role of intraoperative ultrasound.

Mohammed Amin, Khaled Sidani, Mohamad Housheimy, Sarah Kawtharani, Joelle Hassanieh, Ali Amine

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In one paragraph

Review in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Mohammed AminDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Khaled SidaniDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Mohamad HousheimyDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Sarah KawtharaniDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Joelle HassaniehDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Ali AmineDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Bliss Street, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon. Aa232@aub.edu.lb.ORCID 0009-0004-6222-4592

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPediatric spinal epidural abscess is considered to be a rare illness. Despite all the recent improvements in the diagnosis and the treatment of this rare condition, the morbidity and mortality rate is still high especially if the diagnosis was not achieved early on. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature on spinal epidural abscess (SEA) in the pediatric population, with a focus on understanding the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management strategies, and outcomes. This review aims to highlight the unique aspects of SEA and underscore the role of imaging, including intraoperative ultrasound, in guiding treatment.

methodsA literature review was conducted to analyze the existing research on SEA in the pediatric population from the year 2000 to the present. Patients with tuberculosis and predisposing factors were excluded from the analysis.

resultsWe found 42 cases of SEA in patients without significant predisposing factors. The most commonly reported symptoms were back pain, fever, and neurological deficits. Early surgical decompression coupled with targeted antibiotic therapy resulted in improved neurological outcomes and reduced morbidity.

conclusionCurrent literature reveals no clear consensus on the optimal management of (SEA). Each treatment modality presents distinct considerations. However, a trend favoring surgical management is apparent in the reviewed literature, likely due to the risk of disease progression associated with medical management alone. MRI remains the gold standard for diagnosis, but intraoperative ultrasound may offer added benefits during surgical management.

Indexed as

Epidural AbscessAdolescentDecompression, SurgicalHumansMaleUltrasonographyIntraoperative ultrasoundPediatricSpinal epidural abscess

Identifiers

PMID40419701

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.