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CLINICAL IMAGES
Previously published at www.cmaj.ca
A 70-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of multiple injuries from a traffic collision. On day 16 after admission, he started to complain of pain, weakness and numbness in his right leg.
A contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scan of the lumbar spine showed a displaced sacral fracture with compression of the S1 ventral ramus (Appendix 1, available at www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/cmaj.091534/DC1). The patient's symptoms persisted despite treatment with diclofenac, chlorzoxazone, fursultiamine and betamethasone. Severe tingling pain and allodynia (pain with light touch) developed seven days later. Thirty days after admission, several painful grouped erythematous plaques with vesicles were found on his right buttock and the posterior...