2021 Volume 74 Issue 2 Pages 173-179
We present a case of iliopsoas abscess caused by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus(MSSA) in whom bone scintigraphy was thought to be useful for diagnosis. A 14-year-old girl who presented with fever and difficulty in body movement was admitted to a local hospital. She was diagnosed with MSSA bacteremia with unknown focus of infection, and was treated with antibiotics for two weeks before she was discharged from the hospital. One week later, she presented with fever and difficulty in body movement again, and was admitted to our hospital. Although it was difficult to detect the focus of infection due to her mental retardation, bone scintigraphy revealed radiotracer uptake in the right iliac region. She was finally diagnosed with right iliopsoas abscess and iliac/sacral osteomyelitis by MRI. We conducted abscess drainage and treated her with antibiotics for six weeks, and then she was cured without any complications. In some cases of iliopsoas abscess, it is difficult to detect the focus of infection. Therefore, we need to perform imaging tests to detect such infection, and determine the treatment and duration of antibiotics usage.
