Article

Prolonged fever is rare in patients with spinal cord injury. Fever has
been shown to be associated with hetero-topic ossification, but prolonged fever
is very rare. We report here a case of prolonged fever in a tetraplegic patient
who was eventually diagnosed with heterotrophic ossification, and provide a
review of the literature. Treatment with sodium etidronate resolved the fever.
CASE REPORT: A 51-year-old man with C3 tetraplegia developed prolonged fever
(37.5-39.4 degrees C). Fever workup did not reveal a definite origin of the
fever. Non-infectious disease was suspected. The patient was diagnosed with
heterotopic ossification after 3-phase bone scintigraphy. Oral sodium etidronate
treatment was started immediately at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day after diagnosis. On
the 14th day of administration, the patient's body temperature decreased to the
normal range and remained stable. CONCLUSION: Heterotopic ossification should be
taken into consideration when examining patients with spinal cord injury who have
prolonged fever. This case shows that hetero-topic ossification can be treated
successfully with sodium etidronate.

Langue : ANGLAIS