Characteristics And Surgery Treatment Of Spinal Tuberculosis In Children

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics of spinal tuberculosis in children and toinvestigate the surgical treatment of the disease.Methods:85cases with spinal tuberculosis，admitted in our hospital between January2002and June2012，were studied retrospectively．There were36males and49femaleswith average age of8.2years. The age range from1to16years of age with24children lessthan5years of age,22were between6and10years, and39were over10years. Thelesion were located at cervical segment in7cases, Cervicothoracic segment in5cases,thoracic segment in33cases, lumbar segment in38cases, lumbosacral segment in2cases. The lesion involved2to12segments average4.5segments. There were31caseswith neurological dysfunction with the Frankel’s classification were A in3cases,B in5cases, C in8cases,and D in15cases.The coronal and sagittal Cobb’s angels, sagittaltrunk shifts, and fusion segments were measured on the standing AP and lateralradiographs before, after surgery and at the final follow-up.Results: The clinical manifestations were localizaed back pain and radiating pain,enclosed mass, kyphosis, and progressive neurological dysfunction. The Cobb’s angel inthe sagittal plane was corrected from113.6°to22.3°, representing76.2%correctionrate. The average fusion segments was10.2ranging from6to16segments. Thepostoperative neurological improvement was obtained, and the average improvement was1.6point. Perioperative complications consisted of gastrointestinal dysfunction in2cases,pleura injury in4cases, cerebrospinal fluid leakage in2case, and staging operation in2cases.Conclusion: pain is the initial symptom of spinal tuberculosis in children, whichcombined severe kyphosis and neurological dysfunction. surgery treatment can obtainedsatisfied clinical effects. operation approach and fusion levels are helpful to obtain good results.