Clinical Study of Spinal Tuberculosis

Kwag, Soo Young; Choi, Choong Sin

Abstract

A clinical study of spinal tuberculosis was made on 81 patients, who had been treated at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul Red Crose Hoapital, during the 4 years period from January 1974 to December 1977. The results obtained were as follows; 1) The patients have been increased since 1977. 2) The ratio of male to female was not significant, but the age distribution showed a peak incidence in the third decade. 3) The lumbar spine was most commonly involved, being in 43.4% of the cases, while the dorsal spine occupied 27.7%. Considering the age, however, the dorsal spine was most commonly involved in the children as compared to the lumbar spine in the adults 4) In 84.2% of the patients, chemotheraphy was begun prior to operation and in 57.8% for a period less than 4 weeks. 5) The major associated tuberculous lesions elsewhere and complications were pulmonary tuberculosis in 28.4% paraplegia in 27.2% and draining sinus or buldging mass over body surface in 21.0%. 6) The number of involved vertebral bodies was higher in children than in adults. 7) Paraplegia presented a peak incidence in the second decade (42.9%). The number of vertebral bodies involved and the extent of destruction and kyphotic angulation were more severe in the paraplegic group than in the nonparaplegic group. 8) In the paraplegic group, thoracic, cervico-thoracic, and thoraco-lumbal spines comprised 71.8% of the cases. In our experience, the paraplegic group of early onset was better than that of late onset in regard to prognosis for recovery. 9) 22 patients who had complete or incomplete paraplegia had a variety of pathological lesions in or near the spinal canal. The most, common lesion was a sequestrum or a sequestrated disc.

Clinical Study of Spinal Tuberculosis

Abstract

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