[Radical debridement and single stage posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for the treatment of thoracic-lumber tuberculosis].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the radical debridement and single stage posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for the treatment of spinal tuberculosis.


METHODS
From 1999 to 2004, 57 patients (29 males, 26 females) with spinal tuberculosis were operated at our department. The age range was 20 to 77 years old (mean: 39 years old). There were 30 cases of thoracic vertebra and 27 cases of lumbar vertebra. All the patients received a standard pre-operative 4 - 8-week anti-tuberculosis treatment.


RESULTS
The follow-up period ranged from 1 - 4 years and 95.9% of patients achieved an excellent outcome. Solid bony fusion was seen at last in all cases. The mean post-operative kyphosis angle reduced to 20 degrees from 32 degrees pre-operation.


CONCLUSIONS
Single stage anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation is curative for spinal tuberculosis.
Department of Orthopedics, Wuxi Municipal People's Hospital, Wuxi 214000, China. Email: guxiaofeng@medmail.com.cn.
Xiao-feng
XF
Gu
Li
L
Cheng
Yi-yi
YY
Zhou
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult