• Roberto Gazzeri, Marcelo Galarza, Massimiliano Neroni, Stefano Esposito, and Alex Alfieri.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Ospedale San Giovanni Addolorata, Rome, Italy.
• Spine. 2007 Feb 1;32(3):E121-3.

Study DesignA case report and clinical discussion.ObjectiveTo describe a rare but fatal complication secondary to oxygen-ozone therapy for the treatment of herniated lumbar disc.Summary Of Background DataPreviously reported complications secondary to oxygen-ozone therapy are rarely reported. Septic discitis and epidural abscesses have been reported after myelography, lumbar puncture, paravertebral injections, epidural anesthesia, acupuncture, and intradiscal therapy with chymopapain. We report the first case of a local infection with systemic fatal dissemination secondary to this treatment.MethodsA 57-year-old man previously treated with oxygen-ozone therapy presented low back and bilateral pain. The lumbar computed tomography revealed the presence of L4-L5 and L5-S1 herniated discs.ResultsThree days after admission in the hospital, the patient developed a fulminant septicemia. An abdominal-pelvic and chest computed tomography and blood culture led to the diagnosis of pyogenic lumbar muscle involvement, accompanied with septic pulmonary embolism secondary to Escherichia coli infection.ConclusionsThis case report identifies a rare and fatal complication of oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of a herniated lumbar disc. Acute fatal septicemia should be considered among the major complications of the oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of a herniated lumbar disc.

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