We report the case of a 12-year-old girl with thoracic spondylitis, who ini
tially presented with a painless scoliotic deformity and was therefore misd
iagnosed as having idiopathic scoliosis. Sis weeks after initiation of brac
e therapy, increasing back pain neccessitated admission. X-Ray, bone scinti
graphy and magnetic resonance imaging then revealed a pathologic process in
D8. To rule out a tumorous lesion, open biopsy was performed and led to th
e diagnosis of acute spondylitis. Treatment with oral antibiotics and bed r
est led to a complete resolution of the scoliotic deformity, which clearly
demonstrated that it was secondary to spondylitis. After 2 years, the girl
is persistently well and free of pain. This unusual presentation of spondyl
itis delayed correct diagnosis and therefore specific treatment in the case
of this 12-year-old girl.