Background:

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of mini-open oblique debridement and lumbar interbody fusion combined with lateral screw fixation for treating single-level pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

Methods:

Twelve patients with single-level lumbar pyogenic spondylodiscitis underwent OLIF combined with lateral screw fixation were analyzed. Patients underwent follow-up for 12 to 24 months. The clinical characteristics, etiological examinations, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analog scale score (VAS), postoperative complications, and the bony fusion rate were recorded.

Results:

The mean follow-up period of time was 14.8 months. The average operative time and intra-operative blood loss were 129.0 ± 19.76 min and 309.2 ± 92.96 mL, respectively. No severe intra-operative complications were observed during surgery, except in 1 case that develops abdominal pain and distension after surgery, 2 cases that develop left-sided transient thigh pain/numbness and 8 cases that complains of donor site (iliac crest) pain. All of these symptoms disappeared 8 weeks after surgery. Tissue sample cultures were obtained from all patients intraoperatively and four (33.3%) were positive, including 2 with Staphylococcus aureus, 1 with Staphylococcus epidermidis, and 1 with Escherichia coli. During an average of 22.5 ± 2.1 days (range, 14-29 days) after surgery, WBC, CPR, and ESR levels in all patients had returned to normal. All patients were pain free with no recurring infection. Solid bony fusions were observed in all cases within 6 months, including 10 with I grade fusion, 2 with II grade fusion according to the classification suggested by Burkus et al. No fixation failure was observed during follow up and solid bony fusions were observed in all 12 patients at finally follow-up. A significant postoperative increase was also observed in the mean segmental height and lordosis (P < 0.05), followed by a slight decrease of segmental height and lordosis at final follow-up. At the final follow up, the mean VAS (1.5 ± 0.6) and ODI (18.9 ± 7.6) were significantly lower than VAS (8.4 ± 2.7) and ODI (71.2 ± 16.5) before surgery (P < 0.01).

Conclusion:

Single-stage debridement with autogenous iliac bone graft through the OLIF corridor and lateral fixation was a feasible surgical approach in our consecutive 12 cases of pyogenic spondylitis.