title: Surgery-related complications and sequelae in management of tuberculosis of spine.
abstract: METHODS
  Medical record-based survey.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To survey the overall incidence of the intra- and postoperative complications and sequelae, and to propose the preventive measures to reduce complications in the spinal tuberculosis surgery.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  There is no study focused on the surgery-related complications and sequelae, with some touching lightly on the clinical problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 901 patients in this study, including 92 paraplegics. One hundred eighty-six patients had no visible deformity, while those of 715 patients were visible. Six hundred fifty-nine patients had slight to moderate non-rigid kyphosis, and 56 had severe rigid kyphosis. Sixty-seven out of 92 paraplegics had slight to moderate non-rigid kyphosis, and 25 had severe kyphosis. There were 134 cervical and cervicodorsal lesions, 518 thoracic and thoracolumbar lesions, and 249 lumbar and lumbosacral lesions. Seven hundred sixty-four patients had primarily anterior surgeries, and 137 had posterior surgeries. Instrumentation surgery was combined in 174 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were intra- and postoperative complications: direct large vessel and neurological injuries (cord, roots, nerves), late thrombophlebitis, various thoracic cavity problems, esophagus and ureter injuries, peritoneum perforation, ileus, wound infections, stabilization failure, increase of deformity and late adjacent joint and bone problems. Thrombophlebitis and sympatheticolysis symptoms and signs in the lower limbs were the most common complications related with anterior lumbar and lumbosacral surgeries. Kyphosis increased in 31.5% of the non-instrumented anterior surgery cases (42% in children and 21% in adults).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The safe, effective and most familiar surgical procedure should be adopted to minimize complications and sequelae. Cosmetic spinal surgery should be withheld if functional improvement could not be expected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cheju Halla General Hospital, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Sang
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cheju Halla General Hospital, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Wan
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: CUREnCARE Research, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hanlim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Moon-Kim's Institute of Orthopedic Research, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Sim
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Complications; Spine; Surgery; Therapeutics; Tuberculosis