William Taylor

Abstract

A 51-year-old man presenting with left arm weakness and slurred speech was referred to the acute medical team. Admission chest X-ray showed a cavitating lesion, which had not been present 2 weeks earlier. Systemic enquiry elicited a 2 month prodromal illness and back pain. Urgent CT of his head and chest revealed evidence of thoracic discitis spreading anteriorly into a pleural-based lung abscess and an intracerebral abscess causing his neurological deficit. He was transferred for urgent craniotomy and evacuation of a Streptococcus milleri abscess. Following several weeks of neurosurgical care and antibiotics he made a near full recovery.