A Case of Pyogenic Spondylitis after Surgery for Oral Floor Cancer

Abstract

We report the case of a patient who developed pyogenic spondylitis after surgery for oral floor cancer. This 85-year-old man was evaluated at our hospital for a mass in the left floor of the mouth. Oral floor cancer (T2N0M0) was diagnosed. Surgical resection of the tumor was performed twice. On postoperative day 14, he developed sudden neck pain, followed by fever the next day and a gradual decrease in blood pressure. Septic shock was diagnosed, and echocardiography was performed, but no evidence of infective endocarditis was found. Findings on neck magnetic resonance imaging suggested pyogenic spondylitis, and ultimately pyogenic spondylitis causing septic shock was diagnosed. In patients with a compromised immune system after surgery who develop neck pain and fever, the possibility of pyogenic spondylitis as a complication should be kept in mind.