Surgical Treatment of Thoracolumbar Pott’s Disease at Niamey National Hospital (HNN) about 34 Cases

Abstract

Pott's disease or tuberculous spondylodiscitis is one of the most serious forms of osteoarticular tuberculosis, responsible for spinal cord compression and/or "cauda equina" syndrome due to granulomatous and/or abscessed tuberculous epiduritis. Surgery therefore plays a key role in the management of this pathology, although surgical techniques vary widely from one author to another and from one department to another.
 The aim of our work is to describe the different techniques used in our department during the study period, and to evaluate the results.
 This is a prospective study concerning 34 cases of dorsolumbar and lumbar Pott's disease collised in the neurosurgery department of Niamey National Hospital from January 2020 to December 2021.
 Analysis of our results found 26 men and 8 women with a sex ratio of 3.25; the extreme ages were 11 and 76 years and the mean age was 40.53 years. 20 patients presented with dorsal cord compression syndrome, 12 with cauda equina syndrome, 6 with conus medullaris syndrome and 2 with multifocal localization.
 CT was performed in all patients and MRI in only one. All patients were treated with antibacillary chemotherapy. In 16 patients (47.06%), a posterolateral approach consisting of hemilaminectomy, pediculotomy and unilateral arthrectomy was used; in 9 patients (26.47%) a posterior approach consisting of fenestration; and laminectomy in 4 patients (11.76%). An anterior approach in 3 patients (8.82%), consisting of a corpectomy and an antero-lateral approach (pediculo-artrectomy-corpectomy) in 2 patients (5.89%). All our patients underwent debridement, evacuation of residual pus and sequestrectomy. Out of the debridement filling of the defect was performed in 23 cases with a spinous graft, 2 with fibula, 2 with a rib graft and one with an iliac bone graft.
 At 4 months post-surgery, radicular signs had completely disappeared in all patients, and sensory-motor deficit had improved in 30 patients (88.23%). There was a reduction in kyphosis in all patients who had benefited from an anterior approach, compared with 41.38 % who had undergone a posterior approach.