Outcome of Targeted vs Empiric Antibiotic Therapy in the Treatment of Spondylodiscitis: A Retrospective Analysis of 201 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic treatment of spondylodiscitis is influenced by antibiotic stewardship; specifically, empirical antibiotic therapy is avoided in favor of-delayed-targeted antibiotic therapy after microbiological diagnosis. Only patients with neurological deficits or clinical signs of sepsis should be treated by empirical antibiotic therapy. However, the level of evidence for this treatment concept is weak. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients who were treated with a nontargeted antibiotic therapy show a worse outcome than patients who were exclusively treated with targeted antibiotic therapy. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A retrospective single-center data analysis. PATIENT SAMPLE: We included 201 patients with spondylodiscitis who were treated at the authors' institution between 2013 and 2020. OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality rate, time in hospital, development of laboratory parameters, and development of pain (visual analog scale). METHODS: We performed a retrospective data analysis of patients who were treated for spondylodiscitis from January 2013 to March 2020. Clinical and demographic data as well as outcome and complications were recorded and analyzed. We investigated whether patients who were treated by a nontargeted antibiotic therapy had a worse outcome than patients who were exclusively treated by targeted antibiotic therapy and which other clinical factors had an impact on clinical outcome. RESULTS: A total of 201 patients were included, 37 of whom developed sepsis during their hospital stay, and 14 of these 37 patients died. The 14 patients who died represented (10.0%) of the subgroup who received an empirical antibiotic treatment before the targeted antibiotic therapy (n = 141). There were 0 deaths in the subgroup who did not receive an empirical antibiotic treatment (P < 0.05). The time to diagnosis since admission to the hospital was 10.5 (2.2) days in patients with sepsis; in patients without sepsis, it was 5.2 (0.9) days (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this investigation, the authors recommend delaying antibiotic therapy until targeted antibiotic therapy is possible. Furthermore, early diagnosis of spondylodiscitis and prevention and early detection of sepsis are essential to reduce the mortality rate of patients with spondylodiscitis.

May bending radiographs be replaced by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis?

PURPOSE: There is no data that shows if it is possible to determine if a curve is structural or non-structural or to assess flexibility of an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instead of bending radiographs (BR). We investigated if the results of BR may be compared to those of MRI. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of patients with AIS in whom a selective spinal fusion was performed and in whom a MRI, BR and full-spine X-rays were obtained preoperatively. We measured the Cobb angles of the main and of the minor curve in full-spine X-ray (FSR), BR and MRI and analyzed the degree of the intervertebral disk degeneration in the MRI. RESULTS: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25 patients were included. We found a significant correlation (p < 0.05, Corr Coeff = 0.41) between the Cobb angle of the main curve in FSR and the Cobb angle of the main curve in the MRI and between the Cobb angle of the minor curve in FSR and the Cobb angle of the minor curve in the MRI (p < 0.001, Corr Coeff = 0.04). All patients with a minor curve of less than 25° in the BR had a Cobb angle of less than 30° in the MRI. CONCLUSION: Spinal curves showed a significant correlation between bending radiographs and recumbent images (MRI). In our group of patients, a Cobb angle of the minor curve of less than 30° in the MRI indicated that this minor curve was non-structural according to the classification of Lenke.

Surgical Site Infection After Posterior Stabilization of the Spine - When do we Have to Remove the Implants?

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis. OBJECTION: The primary objective of this investigation was to analyze if treatment of Postoperative surgical site infections (PSSI) after posterior stabilization of the spine (PS) without radiological signs of screw loosening (RSL) shows a sufficient success rate without implant removal and if there was any difference between early and late PSSI. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: PSSI after PS are usually treated by implant removal and reinstrumentation if loosening of one of more screws is detected. There is presently no conclusive data that shows the success rate of the treatment of PSSI after PS without implant removal if no RSL are perceived. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who were treated for a PSSI after PS without RSL in a single spine center from 12/2009 to 03/2020 were enrolled in a retrospective analysis. Patients were treated by revision surgery with debridement and irrigation and subsequent antibiotic therapy. Implant removal was performed if the initial treatment did not lead to an improvement in wound healing and normalization of laboratory values. Statistical analysis was performed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 25. Descriptive data are given as mean and standard error of mean, a χ 2 test was performed. RESULTS: Of the 32 enrolled patients, 17 had an early PSSI, 15 a late PSSI. In 71.9% (23/32), the PSSI was treated without implant removal: 12/17 in early PSSI, 11/15 in late PSSI. The difference was not significant ( P >0.05). One patient died, all other patients were discharged from the hospital with no remaining laboratory signs of the infection and with closed soft tissues. CONCLUSIONS: In our group of patients, the success rate of irrigation and debridement without implant removal was 71.9%. In the light of this data, performing at least two irrigations and debridement before implant removal seems to be a valid treatment option in PSSI after PS if there are no RSL in early and late PSSI.