Postoperative Discitis

ABSTRACT

Twelve cases of postoperative discitis, experienced during the past 9 years, are presented and discussed along with review of literatures. The etiology of these postoperative complications is not fully known, but most likely, the cause seems to be of a low-grade infection and chemical and mechanical injuries are given as the causes in literature. It is presumed that the high incidence (3.9%) of postoperative discitis may have some relation with the use of steroids for a long period prior to operation in our series. The characteristic of this disease are recurrence of severe lowback & gluteal pain, spasm of lumbar paravertebral muscle and elevated E.S.R. following the asymptomatic postoperative period, a roentgenogram showed an early destructive change in the adjacent vertebrae, the narrowing of the intervertebral disc space, sclerotic changes in the vertebral bone and occasional fusion of the spine, and relatively good prognosis. The most important treatment was found to be an adequate immobilization of the vertebral column by means of a plaster of paris cast or absolute bed rest. The authors stress the importance of a regular check of E.S.R and an X-ray examination of the spine after surgery for an early diagnosis of postoperative discitis.