Psoas abscess: an approach to acute limp of infectious origin in children

Acute gait abnormalities offer a wide range of diagnosis. Some of those conditions are life-threatening and usually not suspected, such as the psoas abscess (PA). We report a seven year-old child presented to the Emergency Department with limp, fever and abdominal pain. Septic arthritis of the hip and femoral osteomyelitis were ruled out. He was admitted to hospital and put on broad-spectrum antibiotics with good response. A magnetic resonance imaging showed a psoas abscess together with an osteomyelitis of the L4 vertebral body.