title: [Posterior debridement for the treatment of iatrogenic purulent lumbar spinal infection].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss diagnosis and treatment of iatrogenic purulent lumbar spinal infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  From December 2006 to January 2010, 4 patients with iatrogenic purulent lumbar spinal infection were treated with posterior debridement. There were 2 males and 2 females, ranging in age from 50 to 66 years (respectively in 52, 66, 58, 50 years); in course of disease from 2 weeks to 2.5 months (respectively in 21, 14, 60, 75 days ). All patients had fever, lumbago, local tenderness and limited lumbar activity before operation. White blood cell count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were abnormal. The clinical effects were evaluated by symptoms and laboratory examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Symptoms of lumbago and fever vanished in 4 patients, of which wounds were primary healing without complications. The patients were followed up for 3 months, no infection (WBC, C-reactive protein and ESR were normal) and lumbar instability were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Iatrogenic purulent lumbar spinal infection can be diagnosed according to course of disease, clinical symptoms and signs, imaging finding. In the items, magnetic resonance imaging finding have necessarily specificity, once finding abscess-formation, will promptly operate.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Changhai Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors: Bi-Feng
authors: BF
authors: Liu
authors: Ning
authors: N
authors: Yan
authors: Tie-Sheng
authors: TS
authors: Hou
authors: Yi-Fan
authors: YF
authors: Kang