Meningitis complicating spinal surgery.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective review of all cases of bacterial meningitis after spinal surgery.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the usual clinical and laboratory features, and to determine the frequency of this complication.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Meningitis has been recognized as a rare complication of spinal surgery, but no series of cases has been reported previously, and there are no published estimates of its frequency.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the medical records of all cases of bacterial meningitis after spinal surgery in Auckland over a 3-year period was done.

RESULTS

Four cases were identified after 2180 operations, an incidence of 0.18%. All four patients survived.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a rare complication from which a good outcome is possible with early diagnosis and prompt management.