[Anterior instrumentation for the treatment of tuberculotic spinal deformity].
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the clinical results in the treatment of spinal tuberculosis with debridement, bone grafting and anterior fixation and to evaluate the safety and the value of this procedure.


METHODS
From June 1997 to May 2001, 18 patients with spinal tuberculosis were treated using anterior debridement, autograft of bone and primary internal instrumentation. They were 8 men and 10 women, aged from 25 to 59 years (mean 41 years). The degree of kyphosis before surgery was 27.0 degrees to 75.5 degrees (mean 47.5 degrees +/- 11.4 degrees ). The involved spines included cervical spine (1 patient), thoracic spine (10), thoracic-lumbar spine (2), and lumbar spine (5). Average 2.8 intervertebral bodies in each patient were afflicted with tuberculosis disease. Spinal fusions were done with iliac bone grafts.


RESULTS
All patients were followed up for an average of 25 months. No deep wound infection and sinus were observed after surgery. The grafted bones were fused in all patients with an average time of 3.6 months. The degree of spine kyphosis correction was 32.7 degrees +/- 8.3 degrees, and 3.2 degrees +/- 2.8 degrees was lost on average in the late stage.


CONCLUSIONS
Anterior instrumentation for spinal tuberculosis could stabilize the spine, correct kyphosis and fuse the grafted bone.
Shi
Pei-hua
PH
Department of Orthopaedics, Sir RunRun Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China.
Zhang
Jian
J
Fan
Shun-wu
SW
Zhao
Kai
K
Wan
Shuang-lin
SL
Huang
Yue
Y
Fang
Xiang-qian
XQ
Zhao
Feng-dong
FD
D000328:Adult; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000601:surgery*