Background:

Infectious spondylodiscitis of the lumbar spine is a common serious disease for which evidence-based therapeutic concepts are still lacking.

Objective:

This retrospective study compared the impact of the health status of patients on the length of hospital stay with regard to the treatment concept, i.e., antibiotic therapy or antibiotic therapy in combination with fixation surgery.

Patients and methods:

The study included 54 consecutive patients with infectious spondylodiscitis of the lumbar spine who had been treated at our clinic between 2004 and 2013. Records included patient demographics, concomitant diseases, the neurological status and treatment modality, and the length of hospital stay.

Results:

40 men and 14 women with a mean age of 64.2 (30-89) years were included. 13 patients were only treated with antibiotics (group A), 7 patients with abscess decompression (group B), 18 patients with early dorsal fusion (<10 days after admission) (group C), and 16 patients with late dorsal fusion (≥10 days after admission; group D). Patients undergoing early dorsal fusion had a significantly shorter hospital stay (33.2 days) than patients undergoing late dorsal fusion (57.0 days), P = 0.016. Mean hospital stay of patients treated with antibiotics was 30.3 days, that of patients receiving abscess decompression 57.8 days. Patients receiving only antibiotics had a significantly lower CRP level at admission than patients undergoing early fusion, P < 0.05.

Conclusion:

Patients with one or more relevant chronic concomitant diseases showed faster recovery, shorter hospital stays, and earlier return to daily routine after early dorsal fusion than after late dorsal fusion or abscess evacuation alone.