Spondylodiscitis. A retrospective study of 163 patients.
OBJECTIVE
Spondylodiscitis may be a serious disease due to diagnostic delay and inadequate treatment. There is no consensus on when and how to operate. We therefore retrospectively analyzed the outcome of a large series of patients treated either nonoperatively or surgically.


METHODS
Between 1992 and 2000, 163 patients (101 males) were hospitalized due to spondylodiscitis. The mean age was 56 (1-83) years. The infection was located in the cervical spine in 13 patients (8%), in the thoracic spine in 62 patients (38%), at the thoracolumbar junction in 10 patients (6%), and in the lumbo-sacral spine in 78 patients (48%). In 67 patients (41%), no microorganisms were detected. Most of the other patients had Staphylococcus aureus infection (53 patients) and/or Mycobacterium tuberculosis (22 patients). The patients were divided into 3 groups: (A) 70 patients who had nonoperative treatment, (B) 56 patients who underwent posterior decompression alone, and (C) 37 patients who underwent decompression and stabilization.


RESULTS
At 12-month follow-up, nonoperative treatment (A) had failed in 8/70 patients, who had subsequently been operated. 24/56 and 6/37 had been reoperated in groups B and C, respectively. Group A patients had no neurological symptoms. In group B, 11 had neurological deficits and surgery was beneficial for 5 of them; 4 remained unchanged and 2 deteriorated (1 due to cerebral abscess). 11 patients in group C had altered neurogical deficits, which improved in 9 of them. 20 patients had died during the 1-year follow-up, 3 in hospital, directly related with infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Nonoperative treatment was effective in nine-tenths of the patients. Decompression alone had high a reoperation rate compared to decompression and internal stabilization.
Karadimas
Efthimios J
EJ
Spinal Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. eikaradimas@yahoo.gr
Bunger
Cody
C
Lindblad
Bend Erling
BE
Hansen
Ebbe Stender
ES
Høy
Kristian
K
Helmig
Peter
P
Kannerup
Anne Sofie
AS
Niedermann
Bent
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D015299:Discitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents