Background context: Gout of the spine is very rare. Forty-one cases of gout affecting the spine have been reported.
Purpose: To present a patient with tophaceous gout of the lumbar spine mimicking pyogenic discitis.
Study design: Case report.
Methods: The medical record, including operative notes, progress notes, discharge summary, clinical notes, radiological study, and pathological studies was reviewed.
Results: The patient had acute low back pain and radiculopathy with high spiking fever. Therefore, pyogenic discitis was suspected. However, histological diagnosis revealed tophaceous gout.
Conclusions: Tophaceous gout of the spine is very rare. However, when a patient presents with acute back pain and fever, spinal gout should be considered, particularly in a patient with a previous history of hyperuricemia or gout.