Spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Background We present our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of spondylodiscitis. Methods 27 patients with spondylodiscitis were studied. There were 15 men and 12 women, with ages ranging from 26 to 85 years. Of the 27 cases, there were 21 patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis, 6 patients with tuberculosis spondylodiscitis, and 8 patients with diabetes mellitus complication. Two patients presented with tetraparesis, 13 with paraparesis, and 1 with hemiparesis. Seventeen patients underwent surgical treatment, among whom surgical intervention with instrumentation was performed on 5 patients, and emergency operation was performed on 6 patients. Results Fourteen patients were judged as “excellent,” 8 patients as “good,” and 4 patients as “no change.” One patient died because of infection by penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pneumoniae. Conclusion It is very difficult to diagnose spondylodiscitis at the first medical examination. Most spondylodiscitis patients often first visit a department of internal medicine. We strongly recommend that all doctors, especially doctors examining diabetes mellitus patients daily, should be well informed of spondylodiscitis in order to improve its diagnosis.