ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2021
Early surgery with antibiotic medication was effective and efficient in treating pyogenic spondylodiscitis.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of abscess type on outcomes following posterior fixation for thoracolumbar pyogenic spondylitis: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.Asian spine journal · 2026Article
- Predicting residual neurologic deficits using the Spinal Infection Treatment Evaluation score after surgery for thoracic and lumbar spinal epidural abscess: a retrospective study in Taiwan.Asian spine journal · 2026Article
- Anterior Debridement and Fusion With Plating for Cervical Spondylodiscitis: Retrospective Assessment of Clinical Efficacy.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- The Patients´ quality of life and outcome after surgical treatment for primary spinal infection.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Disc penetration sign: an distinctive MRI feature as a predictor of surgical necessity in pyogenic spondylitis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Posterior fixation without debridement for pyogenic spondylodiscitis can promote infection control: initial evaluation of a pyogenic spondylodiscitis posterior fixation rat model.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Cervical Pyogenic Spondylitis: A Comprehensive Review of Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the surgical treatment of monosegmental pyogenic spondylodiscitis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Culture-Negative Native Vertebral Osteomyelitis: A Narrative Review of an Underdescribed Condition.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Spinal epidural abscess as predicting factor for the necessity of early surgical intervention in patients with pyogenic spondylitis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Intradiscal pharmacokinetics of oral antibiotics to treat Chronic Lower Back Pain.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2023Review
- Posterolateral full-endoscopic debridement and irrigation is effective in treating thoraco-lumbar pyogenic spondylodiscitis, except in cases with large abscess cavities.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Article
- Article
- Minimally Invasive Spine Stabilization for Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis: A 23-Case Series and Review of Literature.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Review
- Early switch to oral antibiotic therapy for the treatment of patients with bacterial native vertebral osteomyelitis: a quaternary center experience, systematic review, and meta-analysis.Journal of bone and joint infection · 2022Review
- Neurosurgical Management and Outcome Parameters in 237 Patients with Spondylodiscitis.Brain sciences · 2021Article
- Spondylodiscitis in Children: A Retrospective Study and Comparison With Non-vertebral Osteomyelitis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPyogenic spondylodiscitis (PSD) is challenging to the orthopedist with regards to diagnosis and treatment. The present study was designed to assess and suggest the most indicative diagnostic method and evaluate the effect of surgery comprising of debridement, instrumentation and fusion in treating PSD.
methodsSeventy-six patients with PSD who underwent surgical intervention were retrospectively enrolled. Their medical documents, corrections of spinal alignment and improvements in neurological function were assessed. Surgical approaches were compared in lumbar surgeries regarding the improvements in lordotic angle and neurological function.
resultsElevated c-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were found in 77.6 and 71.1% patients respectively. Infectious lesions were found at lumbar (85.5%), cervical (10.5%) and thoracic (3.9%), ascertained with contrast-enhanced MRI. For lumbar patients, surgery was performed through the anterior (26.2%), posterior (49.2%) or combined approach (24.6%), and differences in improvement of lordosis and neurological function between each approach were insignificant. The pathogen was identified in 22.4% of the patients. Postoperative antibiotic therapy was managed against the result of susceptibility test, or empirically given to patients with negative cultures. All antibiotic therapy was initiated intravenously for 4-6 weeks and orally for 6 weeks.
conclusionElevated CRP and/or ESR, with focal hyper-intensity on contrast-enhanced MRI are suggestive of possible PSD. Surgical intervention comprising of debridement, short-segment instrumentation and fusion that early applied to the PSD patients followed by postoperative antibiotic therapy have demonstrated preferable outcomes, but require further study. THE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THIS ARTICLE: This article advocates early surgery to enable prompt diagnosis and treatment of PSD, and thus guarantee favorable outcomes for patients, as is shown in our study. In addition, different surgical approaches to the lesions were compared and discussed in this manuscript, but no differences in outcome between approaches were found. This suggests that thorough debridement should be prioritized over selection of surgical approach. In summary, this article has large translational potential to be applied clinically.
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