# Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/945 of 22 June 2018 on the communicable diseases and related special health issues to be covered by epidemiological surveillance as well as relevant case definitions (Text with EEA relevance), Division: CNS-SA: Spinal abscess without meningitis

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

An abscess of the spinal epidural or subdural space, without involvement of the cerebrospinal fluid or adjacent bone structures, must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Patient has organisms cultured from abscess in the spinal epidural or subdural space
Patient has an abscess in the spinal epidural or subdural space seen during a surgical operation or at autopsy or evidence of an abscess seen during a histopathologic examination
Patient has at least 1 of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognized cause: fever (> 38 °C), back pain, focal tenderness, radiculitis, paraparesis, or paraplegia
AND at least 1 of the following:
organisms cultured from blood
radiographic evidence of a spinal abscess (for example, abnormal findings on myelography, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or other scans (gallium, technetium, etc.))
AND if diagnosis is made antemortem, physician institutes appropriate antimicrobial therapy

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2018/945/annex/II/division/4/division/4.1/division/4.1.3/division/3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2018-945/annex-II/division-4/division-4.1/division-4.1.3/division-3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.