Spinal epidural abscess is a rare pathology which is manifested by a classic triad of pain, fever and neurological deficit. In most cases, the clinical picture is incomplete which makes its diagnosis difficult. In this retrospective study, we report five cases of spinal epidural abscess treated in the neurosurgery department of Hassan II University Hospital of Fez. Four of our patients were admitted due to spinal cord compression, while one patient was admitted for isolated spinal syndrome without neurological deficit. Fever was present in all our patients, nevertheless no point of entry was identified in the initial assessment. MRI was performed on emergency basis in all of our patients, and demostrated an extra-dural hypointense T1, hyperintense T2 lesions with peripheral enhancement after contrast. Four of our patients underwent surgical treatment which involved performing a laminectomy/laminotomy with drainage of the abscess, while one patient received medical treatment alone. The evolution was favorable in 4 of our patients while one patient died postoperatively due to severe sepsis.

Keywords: Spinal epidural abscess; MRI; Laminectomy; Laminotomy.