Comparison of short term effects of granular bone graft and transverse bone graft in the treatment of single segmental thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis

Objective To compare the short term effects of granular bone graft and transverse bone graft in the treatment of single segmental thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis. Methods The data of 52 patients with single segmental thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis treated by posterior debridement, bone graft fusion and internal fixation in our department from 2011 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed, who were divided into granular bone graft group (n=25) and transverse bone graft group (n=27). Visual analogue scale (VAS) score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), the correction and loss of Cobb angle, the recovery of neurological function, the time of bone graft fusion and complications were observed and compared. Results All patients were followed up for 13 to 23 months. VAS scores, ESR and CRP improved significantly after operation in all patients (P 0.05), but granular bone graft group were found having more Cobb angle loss than transverse bone graft group during the follow-u