Extended Posterior Decompression and Instrumented Fusion for Spinal Tuberculosis

• Main Authors: Sombat Kunakornsawat, Nattaphon Philawuth, Chaiwat Piyaskulkaew, Pritsanai Pruttikul, Tinnakorn Pluemvitayaporn, Piyabuth Kittithamvongs
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Spine Society 2019-12-01
• Series: Asian Spine Journal
• Subjects: thoracolumbar; lumbosacral; spinal tuberculosis; transpedicular decompression
• Online Access: http://www.asianspinejournal.org/upload/pdf/asj-2018-0200.pdf
• ISSN: 1976-1902; 1976-7846

Study Design Retrospective cohort. Purpose To evaluate clinical outcomes, including pain and neurologic status, and to evaluate radiographic outcomes of patients treated with extended posterior decompression, posterior fixation, and fusion in different vertebral segments. Overview of Literature The standard surgical treatment of spinal tuberculosis is radical debridement via anterior approach. However, this approach may lead to several serious complications. Meanwhile, extended posterior approach, the posterior surgical approach, involving the removal of posterior elements, ribs, and pedicles, is an alternative option that can achieve the aims of treatment in this disease and may reduce the serious complications from anterior approach. Methods The medical records and imaging of 50 patients admitted with spinal tuberculosis from January 2010 to June 2016 were reviewed. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Frankel grading scale, and kyphotic Cobb angle between the pre- and postoperative periods were used to evaluate the patients. Results The patients had significant improvement of VAS score in all the groups. The T/T–L, L, and L–S group scores improved from 7.2±1.5 to 1.7±1.2 (p<0.01), from 8.1±1.8 to 1.7±1.4 (p<0.01), and from 7.9±2.2 to 1.7±0.8 (p<0.01), respectively, and overall, the patient scores (n=50) improved from 7.8±1.4 to 1.7±1.3 (p<0.01). Ten patients (20%) had Frankel grade E preoperatively, which was improved to 38 patients (76%) postoperatively. A significant improvement of the kyphotic Cobb angle was observed when compared at the preoperative, early postoperative, and final follow-up period in the T/T–L, L, and L–S groups. The loss of correction angle in the LS group was 7.7°±4.3° at the final follow-up compared with the early postoperative correction angle at 9.1°±5.8°, with no statistically significant difference. Conclusions Extended posterior decompression, posterior instrumentation, and fusion are effective methods of surgery for treatment of spinal tuberculosis involved in the thoracic, thoracolumbar, lumbar, and lumbosacral regions.