title: Spinal hydatidosis.
abstract: METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To revise the treatment of spinal hydatidosis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  About 50% of cases of bone hydatidosis are spinal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with spinal hydatidosis were treated. There were 13 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 53.1 years. The median follow-up was 4.8 years. The infected area was the cervical spine in 1 patient, the dorsal spine in 7, the lumbar spine in 7, and the sacrum in 5. Curettage and resection of the infected bone were performed. The spine was exposed posteriorly in all but 2 patients. An additional posterior decompression and fusion with instrumentation were performed after removing the involved posterior elements in 8 patients. An anterior approach was used in 2 patients: a total corpectomy was performed and a bone graft was added. Two weeks later, a posterior decompression and fixation with instrumentation was done. No preoperative drugs were used. Medical antihelmintic treatment was used after surgery in all but 8 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen patients had spinal cord injury at the moment of surgery. The neurologic damage recovered only in 1 case. Repeated curettage was necessary in 13 cases: in 12 of them because of recurrence and in 1 because of surgical wound infection. In 6 cases of recurrence, there was also chronic wound infection. At last follow-up, 17 patients were free of disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The treatment of choice of spinal hydatidosis is surgical removal of the affected vertebrae combined with posterior stabilization, followed by postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Recurrence is very frequent.
authors.affiliation: Service of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain. aherrera@salud.aragon.es
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Angel Antonio
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D013131:Spine / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D008463:Mebendazole; D015766:Albendazole