[Analysis of reasons failed focal debridement in 109 patients with spinal tuberculosis].

OBJECTIVE

To explore reasons failed focal debridement in treating spinal tuberculosis patients and methods to cope with them.

METHOD: One hundred nine patients with spinal tuberculosis who failed initial focal debridement from 1987 to 1996 were reviewed.

RESULT: The reasons of operational failure were found to be the use of unreasonable regimens and existence of drug resistant strains; inappropriate operational indication, approach and treatment during operation; lesions involving several vertebrae, skipping destruction and complicating with other kinds of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

CONCLUSION

The key to successful treatment of the disease is to choose appropriate operative indication and approach, discard spinal cord pressure and rebuild spinal stability on the basis of reasonable chemotherapy regimen.