The authors report the case of a 58-year-old man who presented with a cervicothoracolumbosacral spinal subdural abscess about a month after receiving an epidural steroid injection for management of low-back pain due to L5–S1 disc herniation. Although he presented with symptoms concerning for a spinal etiology, the subdural empyema was not evident on the initial MRI study and was observed on imaging 5 days later. This patient was successfully managed with surgical intervention and antibiotic treatment, and he is doing well more than 21 months after the operation. It is possible that a prior history of disc herniation or other spinal abnormality may increase a patient's risk of developing spinal subdural empyema. This case illustrates the risk of infection following spinal epidural steroid injections and the importance of early recognition and intervention to successfully treat an extensive subdural abscess.

Malignant gliomas have long been a therapeutic dilemma in neuro-oncology, with a poor overall prognosis. Standard treatment, consisting of primary resection, followed by radiation therapy and temozolomide, has improved prognosis. Recently, studies have looked at the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin), a humanized murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor-A, to conventional regiments. Bevacizumab gained US FDA approval for single agent use in recurrent glioblastoma in 2009. Known side effects of bevacizumab include increased risk of arterial and venous thromboembolism, as well as hemorrhage. With emerging data for the use of bevacizumab in malignant gliomas, the extent of risks such as bleeding and thrombosis in patients with primary brain tumors treated with bevacizumab remains unknown. Here, we present only the second reported case of dural venous sinus thrombosis during treatment with bevacizumab and the first reported case for a primary glioma treated with temozolomide, radiation, and bevacizumab.

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