Here we present a rare case of a 38-year-old Caucasian primigravida with persistent pelvic pain postpartum after normal vaginal delivery. MR imaging was unremarkable and after being managed conservatively she was discharged on the fourth post-partum day. However, she represented two weeks later at the A&E department with features of sepsis, requiring an admission at the local intensive care unit. Repeat MR imaging showed multifocal pyomyositis affecting the right lower psoas and ipsilateral iliacus muscle, right multifidus and erector spinae musculature, ipsilateral piriformis and the gluteus maximus muscle. This was associated with septic arthritis of the sacroiliac joints.  The patient was stabilised and started on potent broad-spectrum antibiotics. An incision and drainage was performed with pus cultures being positive for Escherichia coli and Streptococcus gallolyticus.


Despite treatment, patient was still febrile and subsequent MR imaging showed persistent abscess formation in the iliacus together with septic arthritis. A CT guided drain insertion to which she responded well. After this 16-day hospital stay the patient was discharged in a stable general condition, being able to maintain all her previous activities of daily living. She was followed up regularly at orthopedic outpatients.peer-reviewe

Cremona, Chris

Giordimaina, Ryan

Lia, Charmaine

Malia Azzopardi, Charles

Thake, John

English

OAR@UM

Malta Medical Journal, 32 (1): Pages (2020) http://mmsjournals.org/index.php/mmj/article/view/144  The Editorial Board retains the copyright of all material published in the Malta Medical Journal. Any reprint in any form of any part will require permission from the Editorial Board. Material submitted to the Editorial Board will not be returned, unless specifically requested. Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020           CASE REPORT Multifocal pyomyositis following normal  vaginal delivery  A case based report  Charmaine Lia, Chris Cremona, Ryan Giordimaina, John Thake, Charles Malia Azzopardi Here we present a rare case of a 38-year-old Caucasian primigravida with persistent pelvic pain postpartum after normal vaginal delivery. MR imaging was unremarkable and after being managed conservatively she was discharged on the fourth post-partum day. However, she represented two weeks later at the A&E department with features of sepsis, requiring an admission at the local intensive care unit.  Repeat MR imaging showed multifocal pyomyositis affecting the right lower psoas and ipsilateral iliacus muscle, right multifidus and erector spinae musculature, ipsilateral piriformis and the gluteus maximus muscle. This was associated with septic arthritis of the sacroiliac joints.  The patient was stabilised and started on potent broad-spectrum antibiotics. An incision and drainage was performed with pus cultures being positive for Escherichia coli and Streptococcus gallolyticus. Despite treatment, patient was still febrile and subsequent MR imaging showed persistent abscess formation in the iliacus together with septic arthritis. A CT guided drain insertion to which she responded well. After this 16-day hospital stay the patient was discharged in a stable general condition, being able to maintain all her previous activities of daily living. She was followed up regularly at orthopedic outpatients.    Charmaine Lia *  M. D. Mater Dei Hospital Msida, Malta  charmainetanti27@gmail.com  Chris Cremona  M.D. (Melit), MSc Surgery (Melit) Mater Dei Hospital Msida, Malta   Ryan Giordimaina  M.D. (Melit), FEBOT, FRCS (Trauma & Orth) (Edinburgh Mater Dei Hospital Msida, Malta   John Thake MD, FRCOG.   Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology  Charles Malia Azzopardi MD, FRCP, DTM&H  Department of Medicine,  Mater Dei Hospital  Msida, Malta  *Corresponding author  MMJ 99Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020             INTRODUCTION Iliopsoas abscess formation is a rare phenomenon with an incidence of 0.4 in 100,000 per year in the UK (Shields et al, 2012) being three times commoner in males (Agrawal et al., 2002). Patients who are immunosuppressed, diabetic or suffer from renal failure are at increased risk.  Psoas abscesses can be either primary through hematogenous spread or secondary through infection or inflammation in the surrounding areas.  CASE REPORT A 38-year-old previously healthy caucasian primagravida reported persistent pelvic pain postpartum after normal vaginal delivery.  MR imaging of her pelvis was unremarkable. She was discharged home on NSAIDs and a pelvic support, however two weeks post discharge the patient was readmitted in view of a three-day history of deterioration in general condition – febrile with a fever of 39 degrees Celsius & exhibiting features of sespsis, requiring admission to intensive care. A full septic screen was performed together with a repeat MRI of the pelvis. The latter showed multifocal pyomyositis affecting the right lower psoas and ipsilateral iliacus muscle bellies, right multifidus and erector spinae musculature, ipsilateral piriformis and the gluteus maximus muscle bellies (Figures 1,2,3.).                             Figure 1   Cross-sectional T1 weighted MR imaging of patient’s pelvis with multifocal  pyomyositis and noticeable involvement and oedeomatous changes at right  sacro-iliac joint 100Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020                                                       Figure 2    Cross-sectional T1 weighted MR imaging showing an abscess underneath the   iliacus muscle in frontal to the SI joint Figure 3     Cross-sectional T1 weighted MR imaging showing the abscess tracking over    the sacroiliac joint to the muscles of the back 101Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020                                   This was associated with septic arthritis of the sacroiliac joints.  The patient was treated with Gentamicin, Meropenem and Clindamycin. One large collection extending to the gluteal region was amenable to surgical drainage and cultures grew positive for Escherichia coli and Streptococcus gallolyticus. A further intrapelvic collection was drained by a CT guided aspiration and a drain was left in situ. Antibiotics were switched to Levofloxacin and Ceftriaxone and were given for another 3 weeks post-discharge via a PICC line (Figure 4). The patient was deemed fit for discharge after 16 days of intravenous antibiotics. Rehabilitation at the physiotherapy department was organised and she was followed up regularly at outpatients by the obstetricians, orthopaedic surgeons and the infectious diseases team.    BACKGROUND Pyomyositis is a purulent infection affecting originally skeletal muscle arising via hematological spread, usually associated with abscess mass formation.  This infection may occur in children aged two to five years, but more commonly in adults, with males being predominantly affected. There is a tendency of increased incidence in immunocompromised individuals such as those suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus, diabetes mellitus, malignancy and individuals being treated with immunosuppressants. Recent literature notes an increased preponderance of cases in individuals residing in temperate and tropical climates. Other predisposing factors include trauma, concurrent infection and malnutrition. In the cases reported in literature common factor was muscle injury Figure 4      Graph showing relation between Time (x-axis) and C-reactive protein serum     levels (Y-axis). Superimposed by the date of onset and termination of       Intravenous antibiotics 102Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020            due to exercise or trauma. As yet the mechanism of the pathophysiology of pyomyositis is poorly understood. Multiple cased based presentations repeatedly noted pyomyositis following vigorous exercise. They postulated that this may be due to increased muscle perfusion due to trauma providing additional iron to the muscle bed favoring bacterial growth. An alternative hypothesis could be related to hematoma formation.  The first mention of pyomyositis occurring secondary to vaginal delivery was first noted in 2011 by Gaughan et al., whereby they noted that the patient’s vaginal delivery was a causative factor that instigated the process of bacteremia.  DISCUSSION Anatomy The iliopsoas compartment is extraperitoneal and contains the psoas muscle and the iliacus. The psoas muscle extends from the lateral margin of the 12th thoracic vertebra to the 5th lumbar vertebra and inserts at the lesser trochanter of the femur. Its muscle fibers blend with the iliacus and together form the major flexors of the hip. It is innervated by L2, L3 & L4 nerve roots. It has a large blood supply and is in close proximity to other organs such as sigmoid colon, appendix, jejenum, abdominal aorta, ureters, kidneys, pancreas, spine and iliac lymph nodes. This makes it more prone to abscess formation which can be either primary or secondary (Mallick et al., 2004). Aetiology An iliopsoas abscess refers to a collection of pus in the iliopsoas compartment. This was first described by Mynter in 1881. Iliopsoas abscess can be primary following haematogenous spread of infection (Walsh et al., 1992).  This is more common in young males, diabetics, intravenous drug users, immunocompromised or malnourished individuals, or those who have renal failure or hematological malignancies. Secondary psoas abscess results from direct spread of infection from the adjacent organs such as diverticulitis, appendicitis, urinary tract infection, septic arthritis, vertebral osteomyelitis or infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (Ricci et al., 1986).  In a case series Ricci et al. (1986), noted worldwide difference in the aetiology of iliopsoas abscesses. Primary iliopsoas abscess is more common in Asia and Africa while secondary abscess formation is more common in Europe and North America (Ricci et al., 1986).  Despite the patient being of Maltese origin, her iliopsoas abscess appeared to be primary. We postulate that in this case observed locally, the muscle trauma and inflammation related to the normal vaginal delivery might have increased blood perfusion with iron deposits feeding bacterial growth. Muscular hematoma formation with superseding inflammation may also have played a role in this case.  Microbiology Various pathogens can lead to the formation of iliopsoas abscess with Staphylococcus aureus being most common in primary cases.  Streptococcus and Eschericae coli are more common in secondary abscess formation (Agrawal et al., 2002). Some cases also reported the presence of Proteus (Gruenwald et al., 1992), Bacteriodes (Melissas et al., 2002), Clostridium (Wells et al., 1985), Yersinia enterocolitica (Kahn et el., 1984), Klebsiella (Change et al., 2001) and Mycobacterium kanasii (Simms & Musher, 1998).  In the past iliopsoas abscess was a known complication of 103Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020            spinal tuberculosis also known as Pott’s syndrome (Mallick et al., 2004). Incidence Iliopsoas abscess formation is a rare phenomenon with an incidence of 0.4 in 100,000. It is three times more common in males. Due to its insidious presentation, iliopsoas abscesses lead to increased morbidity and mortality.  Mortality complicates 2.4% of primary and 18.9% of secondary abscesses (Melissas et al.,2002). Mortality can be as high as 100% if the abscess is not diagnosed and drained on time (Thongngarm & McMurray, 2001). Clinical Features The clinical presentation of iliopsoas abscess includes a triad of fever, back pain and limp.  However, this presents in only 30% of cases. Back pain is the most commonly encountered symptom in these cases with a mean duration of 10 days prior to presentation (Chern et al., 1997). Other symptoms include flank or abdominal pain, malaise, weight loss and lump in the groin. The presentation of these abscesses is usually vague and non-specific making them more difficult to diagnose. Thus, they can be easily confused with other conditions such as arthritis, vertebral osteomyelitis, lumbar strain, femoral hernia, tumour or inguinal lymphadenopathy (Bar-Dayan et al., 1997). Investigations Blood investigations are non-specific for iliopsoas abscess. Routine CBC, CRP and ESR are indicated in cases of sepsis as they can help to assess response to treatment. Blood cultures and urinalysis are also important to identify the source of infection and causative micro-organism. Blood cultures are positive in 50% of cases. Leucocytosis is the most common feature. However, anaemia and pyuria can also be present (Riyad et al., 2003).  Imaging includes ultrasonography. However, this is highly operator dependent and is diagnostic in only 60% of cases (Isdale et al., 1994). The gold standard investigation is a IV contrast-enhanced spiral CT scan with 90% sensitivity.  Magnetic resonance imaging is occasionally preferred as it can help to discriminate between soft tissues and enhances the abscess walls without using contrast. The ultimate diagnosis is achieved by CT guided percutaneous drainage and fluid culture (Perez-Fernandez et al., 2006). Management The management of iliopsoas abscess requires a multidisciplinary approach from orthopaedic surgeons, nursing staff, microbiologists, radiologists and physiotherapists. The use of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics is essential to prevent further dissemination of the infection. This would need to be adjusted according to the pathogen and sensitivities obtained through culture of samples. These should be continued for at least two weeks after drainage. Drainage of the abscess is the ultimate treatment for these cases. It can be done surgically through incision and drainage or CT-guided percutaneous drainage (PCD). The latter is the gold standard especially in primary abscess as it is less invasive (Dinc et al., 1996). However, surgical drainage can be used if there is any contraindication to PCD or an abdominal pathology is present which also requires intervention.  Thus, surgical intervention is more commonly used in secondary abscess formation (Procaccino et el., 1991). Complications If not treated iliopsoas abscess can lead to sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation 104Malta Medical Journal     Volume 32 Issue 01 2020            and death. It can also lead to long term disability including femoral nerve damage, hydro nephrosis secondary to compression on the ureters, deep vein thrombosis affecting mainly the iliac veins (Simms et al., 1998) and septic arthritis with hip joint damage as the infection tracks down along the iliopsoas bursa which connects with the hip joint in 15% of cases (Arai et el., 1999). REFERENCES 1. Agrawal SN, Dwivedi AJ, Khan M. Primary psoas abscess. Dig Dis Sci 2002;47:2103–5. 2. Arai Y, Kawakami T, Soga H, et al. Psoas abscess associated with iliac vein thrombosis and piriformis and gluteal abscesses. Int J Urol 1999;6:257–9. 3. Bar-Dayan Y, Fishman A, Levi Z, et al. Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix with psoas abscess-like metastasis in an HIV-negative patient. Isr J Med Sci 1997;33:674–6. 4. Chang CM, Ko WC, Lee HC, et al. Klebsiella pneumoniae psoas abscess: predominance in diabetic patients and grave prognosis in gas-forming cases. J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2001;34:201–6. 5. 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Psoas muscle abscess due to Mycobacterium kansasii in an apparently immunocompetent adult. Clin Infect Dis 1998;27:893–4. 21. Thongngarm T, McMurray RW. Primary psoas abscess [letter]. 6. Ann Rheum Dis. 2001; 60:173-6. 22. Walsh TR, Reilly JR, Hanley E, et al. Changing etiology of iliopsoas abscess. Am J Surg 1992;163:413–16.  23. Wells AD, Fletcher MS, Teare EL, et al. Clostridial myositis of the psoas complicating percutaneous nephrostomy. Br J Surg 1985;72:582. 105

Multifocal pyomyositis following normal vaginal delivery : a case-based report

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Multifocal pyomyositis following normal vaginal delivery : a case-based report

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