A Rare Case of Carpal Osteomyelitis in a Spinal Cord Injury Patient: A Case Report

Osteomyelitis of the carpal bones is rare and usually occurs in the setting of penetrating trauma. Here, to our knowledge, we report the first known documented case of carpal osteomyelitis in a spinal cord injury (SCI) patient and discuss the medical management of this patient. A 62-year-old male with a remote history of traumatic SCI at T5 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A and a history of IV polysubstance abuse presented to an acute care hospital for acute non-traumatic right dorsal wrist pain. Initial hand and wrist X-rays were negative for acute findings. After eight weeks of continued symptoms, severely impaired activities of daily living, and decreased independence, the patient was admitted to acute rehabilitation. MRI showed bone edema changes involving the distal radius, scaphoid, lunate, majority of the capitate, and hamate, concerning possible osteomyelitis. A CT-guided biopsy of the scaphoid confirmed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) osteomyelitis. He completed a seven-day course of IV vancomycin followed by 12 weeks of oral doxycycline. A follow-up positron emission tomography (PET) scan showed no evidence of osteomyelitis, and the patient returned to a baseline functional status of modified independence for most activities of daily living. Carpal osteomyelitis in SCI patients is rare and can be challenging to diagnose, given that it can present with a lack of systemic symptoms and nonspecific laboratory markers. This is the first documented case of carpal osteomyelitis involving an SCI individual. The continuation of diminishing hand mobility, function, and independence should prompt further workup with MRI to rule out uncommon but potentially debilitating diseases such as osteomyelitis.