Postoperative infections of the thoracic and lumbar spine: a review of 18 cases.

We retrospectively reviewed 18 consecutive patients (age range, 19-81 years; average age, 55 years) with postoperative infections of the spine. Postdiscectomy-laminectomy infections confined to the disc space (n = 2) were treated with percutaneous transpedicle drainage. Open débridement was performed in patients with an epidural or paraspinal abscess (n = 3). Infections after posterior instrumentation that manifested during the first postoperative month were treated with single (n = 3) or multiple débridements and delayed closure (n = 7), with preservation of instrumentation. Infections that presented more than 9 months after the initial operation (n = 3) were treated with open débridement and removal of instrumentation. The minimum followup was 1 year (mean 2 years, range, 1-4 years). Infections in 17 of the 18 patients resolved effectively and one patient with metastatic cancer died of sepsis. Transpedicle drainage resulted in immediate relief of back pain. Instrumentation can be retained safely in patients with infections that manifest during the first month after implantation. Single surgical débridement is effective in selected cases. After repeated débridements, the presence of healthy granulation tissue in the wound and decreasing C-reactive protein activity were associated with safe and effective wound closure. Despite radiographic evidence of hardware loosening in infections manifested more than 9 months after implantation, we removed hardware without destabilizing the spine.