ABSTRACT
Objectives:To investigate the clinical characteristics of noncontiguous spinal tuberculosis and the efficacy and prognosis of one-stage posterior debridement,bone graft fusion and internal fixation for the treat-ment of noncontiguous spinal tuberculosis.Methods:The clinical data of 31 patients with noncontiguous spinal tuberculosis treated in our hospital between July 2016 and May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed,in-cluding 18 males and 13 females,aged 49.5±27.5 years.There were 24 cases with 2 lesions and 7 cases with 3 lesions.Responsible vertebrae were clarified,and surgical lesions,fusion segments,and internal fixation methods were determined for each patient,so as to develop individualized surgical plans.The patients were followed up for 29.7±14.7 months(15-85 months).The operative time,intraoperative blood loss,and intraoper-ative and postoperative complications were recorded.Erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)and C-reactive pro-tein(CRP)were examined and recorded before operation,at 1 month,3 months,and 1 year after operation,and at the last follow-up.Visual analogue scale(VAS)was used to evaluate the pain before operation,at 1 week,1 month,3 months,1 year after operation and at the last follow-up.Cobb angle was measured before operation,at 1 week after operation,and at the last follow-up.The American Spinal Injury Association(ASIA)classification was recorded before operation and at the last follow-up.Bridwell bone healing criteria were used to evaluate postoperative tuberculosis activity,symptom improvement,deformity correction,and bone healing at the last follow-up.Results:Among the 31 patients,20(65.4％)had only one lesion(65.4％),23(74.2％)were admitted to the hospital with pain as the main complaint,15(48.4％)had only pain symptoms during the course of the disease,11 cases(35.5％)had only one lesion with pain symptoms,and 18(58.1％)patients had at least one lesion missed at the initial diagnosis.All the patients were successfully operated.The operative time was 280.0±52.2min(165-330min),and blood loss was 567.7±332.0mL(150-1000mL).There were 4 cases of cerebrospinal fluid leakage and 3 cases of incision infection after operation,which were cured after symptomatic treatment.All foci of tuberculosis were cured without recurrence or retransmission.At pre-operation,1 month,3 months,1 year after surgery,and at the last follow-up,ESR was 41.5±26.3mm/h,16.3±13.4mm/h,12.5±6.3mm/h,11.4±5.2mm/h,and 9.2±3.1mm/h,and the levels of CRP were 32.8±23.2mg/L,7.3±5.6mg/L,6.2±4.1mg/L,5.1±3.7mg/L,2.8±2.3mg/L,which were both significantly lower after operation than those before operation(P＜0.05).The VAS score was 6.4±2.4,2.4±1.7,2.3±1.3,1.6±0.9,0.9±0.7,and 0.4±0.3 before operation,at 1 week,1 month,3 months,1 year after operation,and at the last follow-up,which was significantly improved after operation when compared with that before operation(P＜0.05).The Cobb angle was 25.7°±4.9° before operation,15.4°±2.1° at 1 week after operation,and 17.1°±2.3° at the last follow-up,and there were significant differences between the postoperative angles and preoperative angles(P＜0.05).Among the 10 patients with preoperative neurological impairment,1 patient with preoperative grade A recovered to grade C at the last follow-up.Among the 4 patients with preoperative grade B,1 patient recovered to grade C and 3 to grade D.Of the 5 patients with preoperative grade C,2 recovered to grade D and 3 to grade E.All 42 bone graft lesions achieved bone fusion at 6-12 months after operation.At the last follow-up,34 lesions healed in Bridwell grade Ⅰ and 8 in Bridwell grade Ⅱ.Conclusions:For patients with noncontiguous spinal tuberculosis,one-stage posterior debridement,bone graft fusion and internal fixation is safe and efficient after determining responsible vertebrae and lesion features,which can obtain satisfactory results.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To evaluate the long-term outcomes of posterior release, reduction, fixation, and fusion for irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD).Methods:Between January 2005 and June 2016, a total of 31 patients with irreducible AAD who had received posterior approach surgery were included. Among them, there were 13 males and 18 females, the average age was 39.1±13.5 years (range 9-72 years). The clinical data of the eligible individuals were collected and analyzed. Neck disability index (NDI) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores were recorded to evaluate the recovery of neck and neurological functions. The atlantodental interval (ADI), clivus-canal angle (CCA), and cervico-medullary angle (CMA) were measured to evaluate the reduction of AAD. C 0-C 2 angle and C 2-C 7 angle were measured to evaluate the recovery of cervical alignment. For individuals with basilar invagination, the distances from the tip of odontoid process to Chamberlain line and Wackenheim line were measured to assess the reduction in the vertical direction. The duration of bony fusion and complications were also analyzed. Results:The mean follow-up period was 82.7±26.4 months (range 61-170 months). In terms of functional scores, the NDI dropped from 43.41%±11.60% before surgery to 12.19%±6.97% at the six months follow-up, and 9.45%±7.51% at the last follow-up ( F=89.56, P<0.001). The JOA increased from 9.48±2.41 points before surgery to 14.71±1.42 points at the six months follow-up, and 14.97±1.47 points at the last follow-up ( F=52.89, P<0.001). Regarding the horizontal and vertical dislocations, the ADI decreased from 9.16±2.32 mm before surgery to 1.39±1.04 mm at the six months follow-up, and 1.29±1.08 mm at the last follow-up ( F=189.61, P<0.001). The distance from the tip of odontoid process to Chamberlain line decreased from 11.15±4.35 mm before surgery to 2.03±2.83 mm at the six months follow-up, and 2.15±3.02 mm at the last follow-up ( F=37.58, P<0.001). The distance from the tip of odontoid process to Wackenheim line reduced from 6.81±2.57 mm before surgery to -2.23±1.58 mm at the six months follow-up, and -2.27±1.58 mm at the last follow-up ( F=122.16, P<0.001). For the amelioration of the compression on medulla and spinal cord, the CCA increased from 113.68°±12.67° before surgery to 143.39°±7.38° at the six months follow-up, and 142.39°±7.13° at the last follow-up ( F=67.13, P<0.001). The CMA increased from 115.71°±13.69° before operation to 145.58°±10.78° at the last follow-up ( F=41.44, P<0.001). Regarding the curvature of the cervical spine, the C 0-C 2 angle recovered from 1.94°±15.82° before surgery to 14.84°±6.45° at the last follow-up ( F=11.97, P<0.001), and the C 2-C 7 angle ameliorated from 27.26°±8.49° before operation to 19.26°±5.44° at the last follow-up ( F=11.13, P<0.001). Bony fusion was achieved in all cases, the fusion time was 9.71±2.55 months (range 5-15 months). A total of five complications occurred in the cases (two cerebrospinal fluid leakages, one deep infection, one transient neurologic deficit, and one dysphagia). They were all cured with corresponding treatments. In the last follow-up, none of the cases developed failure of internal fixation or re-dislocation. Conclusion:Posterior approach release, reduction, fixation and fusion technique is a safe and efficient surgical strategy with favorable long-term follow-up outcomes for irreducible AAD.