Study of efficacy and complication in various approaches in surgeries for dorsolumbar spinal tuberculosis

Abstract

Spinal tuberculosis is the most common form of extrapulmonnary tuberculosis. It can be managed conservatively as well as by operative intervention. The surgery involves decompression of the focus of infection and stabilisation of the spine. Various approaches have been devised to perform decompression and instrumentation of the spine. This study compares the efficacy and complications of three approaches: Anterior and Posterior, Anterolateral and Only Posterior approach. It is a retrospective study involving 30 patients from October 2013 to October 2015. In our study, we found that the posterior approach was a safer approach with lesser complications and almost equal efficacy as compared to other two approaches. Though there was equally significant improvement in the post-operative neurology in all the three approaches, the posterior approach was associated with lesser morbidity and required relatively lesser time.