Treatment and postoperative care of spinal tuberculosis

  After the late 1980s, the incidence of tuberculosis has increased due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, the increase of mobile populations, the failure to effectively control the source of infection, and the increase of cases of tuberculosis infection complicated by the AIDS epidemic. The incidence of tuberculosis has been increasing significantly. Spinal tuberculosis is one of the most common forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and its incidence accounts for 50% to 75.22% of all bone and joint tuberculosis. The chemotherapy principles of “early, combined, appropriate, regular, and complete” treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis advocated by the National Tuberculosis Conference are perfectly suited to the implementation of chemotherapy for spinal tuberculosis.  The first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs currently recommended by the World Health Organization are: isoniazid 5(4-6) mg/kg body weight/day (maximum dose not exceeding 300 mg) rifampicin 10(8-12) mg/kg body weight/day (maximum dose not exceeding 600 mg) pyrazinamide 25(20-30) mg/kg body weight/day ethambutol 15(15-20) mg/kg Body weight/day Streptomycin 15(12-18)mg/kg body weight/day The World Health Organization recommended TB regimen for patients with bone TB on initial treatment is: 2HREZ/7HR i.e. 2 months of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol 7 months of isoniazid, rifampicin Regular review of liver and kidney function, blood sedimentation and follow up to monitor for adverse drug reactions is very important!  The treatment of spinal tuberculosis is mainly through drug therapy, but surgery can be considered when the following conditions occur: ① cold abscesses with extensive flow of secondary infection, systemic toxic symptoms are obvious and can not tolerate focal debridement to save life.  ② Local instability, posterior deformity angle greater than 60 degrees or compression of the spinal cord, intractable pain and neurological damage may require anterior or posterior surgery to remove the lesion, relieve the compression and stabilize the local spine.  In addition, in those cases where the lesion has been cured but a severe deformity remains, paraplegia may still occur after 10 to 20 years because the extension of the spinal cord over the bony protrusion produces neurogliosis leading to paraplegia. Therefore, correction of the deformity, release of spinal cord compression, and stabilization of the spine are necessary for this group of patients.  Postoperative management: Surgery is not a substitute for medication, so regular anti-tuberculosis medication is required before and after surgery. Post-operative bed rest is generally recommended for 3 months. Patients without internal fixation should be strictly braked by means of a cast or brace. If internal fixation is performed, patients can move appropriately under the protection of a brace, but bed rest is still recommended for most of the time. Enhance nutrition and systemic support therapy. Most of the patients whose condition worsened after surgery or recurred after surgery did not adhere to regular medication or had inadequate local braking. If local stability (bone graft healing, etc.) is indicated, normal daily activities can be resumed, but it is recommended to continue wearing the brace for more than 3 months.