ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of one-stage anterior debridement and bone graft fusion for the treatment of cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis. Methods: This is a retrospective case series study. Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 23 patients with cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis treated with one-stage anterior approach debridement and bone graft fusion was performed in the Department of Spinal Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2015 to January 2020. There were 14 males and 9 females,aged (51.9±12.8) years (range:26 to 82 years). Preoperatively, 14 patients had neurological deficits, classified according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale as follows: grade A in 1 case, grade B in 1 case, grade C in 5 cases, and grade D in 7 cases. All patients underwent the one-stage anterior debridement and fusion procedure. The surgical time, blood loss, hospital stay, fusion time, and surgical complications were documented. Clinical efficacy was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), the neck disability index (NDI), and the ASIA impairment scale. Preoperative and postoperative data were compared using paired sample t tests, repeated measures analysis of variance, and generalized estimating equations. Results: All the 23 patients underwent the operative procedures successfully. The operation time was (102.8±19.8) minutes (range:60 to 140 minutes), blood loss was (84.4±40.2) ml (range:30 to 160 ml), and the length of hospital stay was (17.4±6.0) days (range:10 to 30 days). Blood cultures were positive for the causative pathogen in 14 cases (60.8% positivity rate), while 9 cases had negative results. Irrigation fluid cultures yielded the causative pathogen in 19 cases (82.6% positivity rate), with 4 cases negative. All patients were followed up for more than 12 months, with a follow-up duration of (19.0±5.9) months (range:12 to 36 months). At the final follow-up, VAS improved from (5.9±1.1) points preoperatively to (0.8±0.3) points; NDI improved from (38.3±6.0)% preoperatively to (9.3±3.0)%, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.01). All patients experienced improvement in neurological function, with the exception of one patient in grade C and two in grade D, all other patients recovered to grade E. The C2-7 Cobb angle and the affected segment Cobb angle were corrected. white blood cell, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels returned to normal. All patients achieved bony fusion, with a fusion time of (8.9±1.9) months (range:6 to 12 months). Two diabetic patients developed postoperative incision infection; no other surgery-related complications occurred in the remaining patients. Conclusion: One-stage anterior debridement and bone graft fusion can correct kyphosis, restore normal alignment, and improve neurological function in the treatment of single and double segment cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis, representing a viable treatment option for cervical pyogenic spondylodiscitis.