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Article: Sequelae of undiagnosed cervical vertebral osteomyelitis in intravenous drug abusers.(Head And Neck Clinic)
- Article from:
- Ear, Nose and Throat Journal
- Article date:
- September 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Vendome Group LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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There are an estimated 1.2 million intravenous drug abusers in the United States. (1) Most of the medical complications of IV drug abuse (IVDA) are caused by the actual administration of the drag rather than by the drug itself. Addicts rarely use aseptic techniques, and injection sites are often not cleaned fastidiously. This leads to a wide variety of clinical problems, ranging from mild cellulitis to more disseminated disease, such as osteomyelitis.
In the head and neck region, cellulitis and deep neck infections are the most common complications of IVDA. However, the concurrence of cervical vertebral osteomyelitis with a deep neck infection is often overlooked ...