title: Patients with complicated Pott's disease: management in a rehabilitation department and functional prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective is to study the rehabilitation management and to assess autonomy in daily life activities as well as walking recovery in patients with complicated Pott's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study in nine patients over a period of 8 years extending from 2000 to 2008, collated in the Department of Physical Medicine and Functional Rehabilitation, CHU Sahloul, Sousse, Tunisia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of our patients was 43.8 years; sex ratio was 5/4. The spine involvement of tuberculosis was dorsal in seven cases, dorso-lumbar in one patient, and multiple (cervical, dorsal and lumbar) in one case. All patients were paraplegic with a neurological involvement of the bladder. They had prior antituberculosis chemotherapy for at least 8 months. Decompression surgery was performed in six cases. Two female patients presented disorders of spinal posture during treatment requiring surgical revision with osteosynthesis. All patients received additional rehabilitation care. Following a mean duration of hospitalisation in the Rehabilitation department of 47 days with twice-daily sessions of tailored physiotherapy, three patients remained in complete paraplegia, autonomous in wheel-chair and with vesical and sphincter incontinence. The measure of functional independence (MFI) was at admission/discharge 71/92.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rehabilitation takes an important place in the medico-surgical management in Pott's disease, to limite or compensate the disabilities and handicap related to this pathology.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine physique et de réadaptation fonctionnelle, CHU Sahloul, Sousse, Tunisia. afifzaoui2002@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaoui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanoun
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boughamoura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Maitigue
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khachnaoui
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rejeb
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011379:Prognosis; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*