Study design Case Series. Objective Sudden ‘lockdown’ to contain spread of SarsCoV-2 infection had far-reaching consequences on the Spine Unit of our tertiary care hospital, situated in a hilly-region of Northern India. We intend to share our experience of providing care for acute spinal disorders from 23rd March, 2020, when nationwide lockdown and closure of elective services started in our country, to till 12th May, 2020, and to formulate few recommendations at the end. Setting Northern India. Methods Between 23rd March, 2020 and 12th May, 2020, data of all patients with spinal conditions presenting to Emergency Department for acute care services were collected prospectively. Existing protocols were modified in line with changing national and institute policies for functionality of the spine unit, challenges faced and steps taken were noted. Results All elective cases were postponed for an indefinite period at the starting of ‘Lockdown’. A total of 24 patients were received in ED during study period and 14 (58%) were managed operatively. The majority (79%) were with traumatic spine injury, and fall from height was most common mechanism of injury in traumatic spine patients (84%). There was higher incidence of surgical site infections (14%) among operated patients, compared to our previous average. We had modified routine policies to tackle challenges faced and till date of writing this article, none of the members of spine team or patients treated by us tested positive for SARSCoV-2. Conclusion To continue providing care for acute spinal conditions and maintaining academic activities of spine unit during ‘lockdown’ needs innovative policies in line with national protocols.

Study Design Prospective clinical study. Purpose We evaluated the challenges faced during diagnosis and management of patients with subacute pyogenic discitis and discussed various clues in clinical history, radiologic and hematologic parameters of these patients that helped in establishing their diagnosis. Overview of Literature Present literature available shows that in patients with subacute spondylodiscitis and infection with less virulent organisms, the clinical picture often is confusing and the initial radiologic and hematologic studies do not contribute much toward establishing the diagnosis. Methods Demographic pattern, predisposing factors, clinical presentation, comorbidities, microbiology, treatment, neurologic recovery, and complications of 11 patients were prospectively reviewed regarding their contribution toward the conformation of diagnosis of subacute pyogenic discitis. Results Mean age at presentation was 46.0 years with average preoperative Oswestry Disability Index and Visual Analog Scale scores of 83.4 and 7.18, respectively. Mean follow-up duration was 12.0 months. The most common site of infection was the lumbar spine, followed by the thoracic spine (n=1). Infective organisms were isolated in only 45% of cases. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common causative organism isolated. Conclusions Diagnosing subacute spondylodiscitis in a patient presenting with subacute low backache poses a diagnostic challenge. Clinical and radiologic picture are deceiving, and bacteriologic results often are negative, further complicating the picture. A detailed medical history along with clinical, radiologic, and biochemical parameters prevents missing the diagnosis. Serial serum Creactive protein and alkaline phosphatases were more reliable blood parameters in cases of subacute presentation.

Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Objectives The need for definitive fusion for growing rod graduates is a controversial topic in the management of Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) patients. The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the available literature to evaluate the outcomes of growing rod graduates undergoing final fusion or observation with implants in-situ. Methods An extensive literature search was carried out aimed at identifying articles reporting outcomes in growing rod graduates. Apart from the study characteristics and demographic details, the extracted data included Cobb’s correction, trunk height parameters, and revision rate. The extracted data was analyzed and forest plots were generated to draw comparisons between the observation and fusion groups. Results Of the 11 included studies, 6 were case-control and 5 were case series. The authors did not find any significant difference between the 2 groups with respect to the pre-index and final Cobb’s correction, T1-T12 or T1-S1 height gain in either over-all, or sub-analysis with case-control studies. The meta-analysis showed a significantly higher revision rate in patients undergoing a definitive fusion procedure. Conclusion The current analysis revealed comparable outcomes in terms of correction rate and gain in the trunk height but a lesser need of revisions in observation sub-group. The lack of good quality evidence and the need for prospective and randomized trials was also propounded by this review.

Over the years, a number of authors have used different working definitions of instability in tuberculosis of the spine (TB spine). However, no clear consensus exists to define instability in TB spine. The current systematic review addresses the question ‘What defines instability in TB spine’? A comprehensive medical literature search was carried out to identify all the studies which defined instability in the setting of spinal TB. The extracted data included the clinical, X-ray and CT or MRI-based definitions. The current review identified lesser age, junctional region of the spine, mechanical pain and ‘instability catch’, kyphotic deformity above 40 degrees, pan-vertebral or bilateral facetal involvement and multifocal contiguous disease involving more than three vertebrae as predictors for spinal instability in the dorso-lumbar spine. Cervical kyphosis more than 30 degrees and facetal or pan-vertebral involvement were found to be the factors used to define instability in subaxial cervical spine. With respect to C1–C2 TB spine, migration of the tip of the odontoid above the McRae or McGregor line or anterior translation of C1 over C2 were considered as determinants for instability. Although definitive conclusions could not be drawn due to lack of adequate evidence, the authors identified factors which may contribute towards instability in TB spine. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:202-210. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.200113