İyatrojenik Lumbar Spondilodiskitlerde Ekonomik Maliyet, Tanısal ve Prognostik Belirteçler

Abstract

Objective: In this study, the economic cost, diagnostic and prognostic laboratory markers of lumbar spondylodiscitis, which emerged as a complication after surgical intervention in the lumbar region, were investigated.Material and Methods: Age and gender of the patients were recorded. Furthermore, surgical intervention type (spinal instrumentation, lumbar discectomy), biopsy results of infected tissue, concomitant morbidities, duration of hospital stay and microorganism growth in culture materials were evaluated in patients. In addition, values of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte count which were obtained from these patients at admission to hospital and at discharge from hospital were recorded. Moreover, treatment costs of these patients were examined.Results: Nine patients (women=7, men=2) with a mean age of 58±14.92 years were included in this study. All parameters of patients were not different in terms of surgical intervention type. However, when the patients were discharged from the hospital, their ESR and neutrophil counts decreased and lymphocyte count increased in all of them. Although CRP level values decreased as numerical value at discharge, this decrease was not statistically significant. Correlation analysis showed that length of hospital stay and tissue biopsy performed to the patients increased the economic cost.Conclusion: It was concluded that any routine laboratory parameter investigated in this study could not be a valid biomarker for diagnosis and follow-up of spondylodiscitis that emerged after surgical intervention. On the other hand, it was concluded that diagnosis and treatment of this disease, whose prevalence is increasing, may have a high economic cost for patients and countries.