Purpose To investigate the clinical efficacy and feasibility of one-stage surgical treatment for upper thoracic spinal tuberculosis by internal fixation, debridement, and combined interbody and posterior fusion via a posterioronly approach. Methods Fourteen patients (eight males, six females) with upper thoracic tuberculosis whose lesions were confined to two adjacent segments were admitted to our hospital. Their ages ranged from 23 to 72 years (average, 50 years). The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale was used to assess neurological function. ASIA classification showed that preoperatively, one patient was grade A, two patients were grade B, eight patients were grade C, and three patients were grade D. All patients were treated with one-stage surgical treatment by internal fixation, debridement, and combined interbody and posterior fusion via a posterior-only approach. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively by measurement of thoracic kyphotic angles using Cobb angle evaluation, determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), evaluation of ASIA impairment scale, and radiological examination. Results Operation time ranged from 70 to 135 min, (average, 110 min). Intraoperative blood loss ranged from 200 to 950 mL (average, 450 mL). All patients were followed up for 22 to 48 months postoperatively (average, 31.5 months). No sinus tract formation, cerebrospinal meningitis, or recurrence of tuberculosis occurred. All patients had significant postoperative improvement in ASIA classification scores. The thoracic kyphotic angles were significantly decreased to 12°-26°postoperatively, and at final follow-up were 13°-28°. The ESR recovered to normal within 6 months postoperatively in all patients. Bone fusion was achieved within 3-8 months (average, 5.5 months). Conclusions One-stage surgical treatment for upper thoracic spinal tuberculosis by internal fixation, debridement, and combined interbody and posterior fusion via a posterior-only approach can be an effective and feasible treatment method.

Meta-analyses showed that the prevalence of scoliosis in Mainland China was 1.02% among the primary and middle school students. The prevalence of scoliosis in females was higher than in males and the ratio was 1.54. As they grew older, the prevalence of scoliosis increased in the students.

BackgroundThe standard recommended method for surgical treatment of spinal tuberculosis is an anterior approach for debridement and fusion combined with posterior instrumentation. However, the method has its disadvantages. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of treating thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis with debridement, internal fixation reconstruction, and using specially formed titanium mesh cages via a posterior-only approach.MethodsThe authors retrospectively reviewed the cases of 28 patients with spinal tuberculosis treated by debridement, internal fixation, and reconstruction with a specially formed titanium mesh cage via a posterior-only approach. The levels involved were less than two contiguous vertebrae: 13 thoracic vertebrae, 5 thoracolumbar vertebrae, and 10 lumbar vertebrae. All patients suffered from back pain, and nine patients had neurologic deficits (two were class C and seven were in class D according to the American Spinal Injury Association classification). All patients were followed up every 3 months after surgery, with a minimum 48-month follow-up. The clinical efficacy was evaluated based on the visual analog scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), neurological status, kyphosis angle, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).ResultsAll patients obtained solid bony fusions without failure of fixation. The infections were resolved in all patients, as noted by normalization of their ESR. The average surgery time was 2 h and 15 min, with an average blood loss of 435 ml. The VAS scores dropped from a preoperative level of 6.31 ± 1.25 to the final follow-up level of 0.57 ± 0.14. The ODI scores dropped from 39.14 ± 12.38 preoperatively to 7.29 ± 3.09 at 1 year postoperatively and 6.77 ± 2.53 at final follow-up. The kyphosis Cobb’s angle was corrected from 22.31° ± 4.26° preoperatively to 5.86° ± 0.57° at final follow-up. No subsidence of titanium mesh cage or posterior instrumentation failure was observed postoperatively. The neurological outcome increased by 1–2 grades in the patients with neurological deficits.ConclusionsDebridement, internal fixation, and reconstruction using specially formed titanium mesh cages via a posterior-only approach is effective and safe for treating adults with thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis involving less than two contiguous levels.

Single-stage anterior debridement, strut autografting, posterior instrumentation, and fusion proved safe and effective for MTSUTR, which can achieve goals of complete spinal cord decompression and good deformity correction.