Surgical Treatment for Spinal Tuberculosis With Bilateral Paraspinal Abscess or Bilateral Psoas Abscess

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective study on the clinical outcomes of single-stage surgery for thoracic and lumbar spine tuberculosis patients with bilateral paraspinal or bilateral psoas abscesses. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of, indications for, and clinical effects of single-stage posterior surgery for the treatment of thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis with bilateral paraspinal or bilateral psoas abscesses. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: An increasing number of articles have been published on the use of single-stage surgery for spinal tuberculosis; however, none of these articles have discussed the use of such surgery in patients with bilateral abscesses. METHODS: Between January 2003 and January 2011, 41 patients with thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis and bilateral paraspinal or bilateral psoas abscesses were treated with single-stage posterior surgery. All of the patients were treated preoperatively with 1-2 weeks of antituberculosis drugs. All patients were managed postoperatively with standard courses of chemotherapy with triple or quadruple antituberculosis drugs. The clinical symptoms, complications, and laboratory and image indicators were recorded. RESULTS: There were no local recurrences except in one L3-L4 tuberculosis patient. Two patients presented with extraspinal tuberculosis in the third year. There were no incision complications. Bone fusion was observed 6 months after the operation. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was normal at 3 weeks-3 months postoperatively. There were no internal fixation failures. The internal fixations in 6 young patients were removed after the spinal tuberculosis was cured. CONCLUSIONS: Single-stage posterior surgery with instrumentation results in less operative trauma and can be a suitable alternative for treating thoracic and lumbar tuberculosis with bilateral paraspinal or bilateral psoas abscesses.