부산대학교 도서관

We retrospectively review the results of treatment of a series of nine patients with spinal spondylitis. Nine consecutive patients with tubecular or pyogenic spinal spondylitis were treated between 1989 and 1999. Nonsurgical management is indicated for patients with minimal or no neurological deficits and absence of significant localized kyphotic deformities. Surgical indications included the presence or development of motor deficits with epidural compression and/or localized kyphotic deformities, or the failure of medical therapy. Seven patients underwent surgery. Five patients were treated using full instrumentation. Conservative therapy was conducted on 2 patients. After a minimal follow-up period of 6 months, all patients showed neurological improvement. Early surgical decompression results in rapid improvement of neurological deficits and stabilization with bony fusion. The presence of active infection does not preclude the use of internal fixation.