Journal of Clinical Medicine
Epidural Abscess in Routine Preoperative MRI Reports Versus Documented Operative Findings, and Exploratory Mortality Risk Factors in Surgically Treated Spondylodiscitis: A Retrospective Single-Centre Study
By Bahadır Balkanlı, Enver İpek, Mehmet Alp Yüksel and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Surgical decisions in spondylodiscitis rely on the preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) report, and postoperative mortality remains high. We examined how often routine MRI reports described an epidural abscess later documented at surgery and explored factors associated with mortality.
Methods
Twenty-seven adults operated on for pyogenic or fungal spondylodiscitis at one centre (2017–2025) were studied retrospectively. Findings were abstracted from routine MRI reports and operative notes, with epidural pus documented at surgery as the reference. Mortality was explored with univariable Cox and receiver operating characteristic analyses.