Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a common disease, especially in underdeveloped countries. TB of the vertebral column constitutes nearly 50% of all lesions of osteoarticular TB. The most common site for the disease is the peridiscal region. The primary treatment option is usually anti-TB chemotherapy, but in some patients with severe pain and neural involvement, instability and a large abscess, surgery is recommended. To our knowledge there are no publications describing the use of a stand-alone titanium cage and bone graft without anterior plating in the treatment of tuberculous spondylitis (TBS). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of stand-alone titanium mesh cages in TB of the cervical spine. A retrospective study of 47 patients with cervical TBS was carried out at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, of whom 61.6% were aged 3–35 years and 28.4% were aged 36–70 years. Twenty-six were male and 21 were female. Preoperative spinal function was categorized as Frankel grade E in 26 patients, Frankel grade D in four patients, Frankel grade C in 10 patients, Frankel grade B in two patients and Frankel grade A in five patients. Following surgery, one patient categorized as Frankel grade A remained the same while the remaining four improved to grade C at follow-up. The rest of the patients improved to grade E at the 2-year follow-up. The mean preoperative Cobb angle was 39.06° [standard deviation (SD) 10.92°], which improved to –5.51° (SD 77°) (P < 0.05). When comparing the visual analogue scores, there was also a statistically significant difference in pain improvement. All patients underwent single-stage radical debridement, decompression and instrumentation. Anterior column reconstruction was performed in all patients using a stand-alone titanium cage. The use of titanium cages effectively corrects sagittal deformity in the TB-affected spine with no donor site morbidity.
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