Cervical tuberculous Spondylitis: Report of 2 Cases

Tuberculous spondylitis occurs about 1% of all newly diagnosed cases of tuberculosis and it is the most common and most dangerous form of skeletal tuberculosis. It usually involve the lower thoracic and lumbar spine and the cervical involvement is rare. Therapy should consist of administration of antituberculotic agents and if indicted, surgical curettage and stabilization. The early diagnosis and management was important. Due to the MR imaging for the evaluation of spinal disorders and the recent increase of patients with AIDS suggest that the prevalence of skeletal tuberculosis including tuberculous spondylitis is increasing. Authors report two cases of cervical tuberculous spondylitis with review of literatures.

Chemonucleolysis at Out-patient Clinic

The Chemonucleolysis at out-patient clinic(OPD) is a new option in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. The authors performed 39 cases of Chemonucleolysis with this method since Mar. 1992. All but 2 cases had excellent or good results without any complications. This OPD chemonucleolysis was thought to be a very useful method that gave various benefits to both of the patient and the hospital. To the patient, Socioeconomical and psychological benefits such as cost reduction and short hospital periods would be obtained. And to the hospital, Increasing outcome could be obtained by the improving hospital circulation of the patients who needed admission. For the best results, complete pre-operative evaluation and strict application of indication was essential. Proper home care guide was also needed because the home care was occasionally required from several days to a few months.