Iliopsoas Hematoma Progression to Abscess in the Setting of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Iliopsoas hematomas (IPH) are defined as a spontaneous or traumatic retroperitoneal collection of blood involving the iliopsoas muscle. In some cases, intramuscular hematomas can progress to abscesses and put the patient at risk for further complications. Our objectives are: to describe the etiology of intramuscular hematoma and psoas abscess, to describe the clinical signs and treatment of intramuscular hematoma and psoas abscess, and to analyze the association between uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and psoas abscess progression, which we achieve through retrospective case analysis and associated literature review on symptom constellation. We present the case of a 40-year-old male patient with a history of diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse who presented with three days of increasing back and left lower extremity pain, confusion, auditory hallucinations, and fever found to be in diabetic ketoacidosis. Six days prior, the patient presented to the Emergency Department (ED) after being struck by a motor vehicle while ambulating found to have bruising, weakness in his lower extremities, and an L2 vertebrae fracture found on CT. During the presentation, the patient was found to have decreased muscle strength, leukocytosis with elevated lactate, and CT findings suggestive of a left psoas abscess drained by interventional radiology. Vancomycin and Cefepime were used as an empiric antibiotic regimen. The culture of the wound was then found to grow Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteria and antibiotics were then adjusted to Vancomycin and Cefazolin. During the patient’s hospital stay, he developed two more abscesses on his bilateral psoas muscles, which were promptly percutaneously drained by interventional radiology. This case describes an uncommon progression of an Iliopsoas hematoma to a psoas abscess, likely due to his immunocompromised status secondary to his uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus has been shown in various studies to be an independent risk factor of intramuscular hematoma progress to psoas abscess. We suggest that patients displaying fever, chills, flank pain, limited hip movement, and indications of uncontrolled diabetes should be approached with a high degree of suspicion for a psoas abscess.