EVALUATION OF THE RISK OF INSTRUMENTATION AS A FOREIGN-BODY IN SPINALTUBERCULOSIS - CLINICAL AND BIOLOGIC STUDY

The risk of persistence and recurrence of infection in posterior spina l instrumentation surgery for spinal tuberculosis was studied clinical ly and microbiologically. Eleven patients with thoracic, thoracolumbar , and lumbar spinal tuberculosis treated by debridement, anterior fusi on, and combined posterior instrumentation surgery were analyzed. Seve n patients had tuberculosis in both anterior and posterior spinal elem ents. There were no cases of persistence or recurrence of infection af ter surgery, and instrumentation provided immediate stability and prot ected against development of kyphotic deformity. The adherence propert ies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to stainless steel (SUS 316) was eva luated experimentally. The results showed that posterior instrumentati on surgery was not a hazard to spinal tuberculosis infection when comb ined with radical debridement and intensive anti-tuberculosis chemothe rapy.