Spontaneous pyogenic spondylodiscitis in the thoracic or lumbar spine: A retrospective cohort study comparing the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive and open surgery over a nine-year period

Abstract Purpose Pyogenic spondylodiscitis is a rare disease, but its incidence is increasing. Over the last decade, spinal surgery has been modified to become minimally invasive. In degenerative spinal disorders, such minimally invasive surgery (MIS) reduces blood loss, muscular trauma and the hospital stay. However, it is not known whether MIS also confers these benefits to patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis. This retrospective cohort study compared the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and the conventional open surgical procedure in patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis. Methods The study cohort consisted of all consecutive patients who underwent surgery for thoracic or lumbar pyogenic spondylodiscitis that was not caused by previous surgery or tuberculosis in our tertiary care institution between January 2003 and December 2011. Results Of the 148 eligible patients, 75 and 73 underwent MIS and open surgery, respectively. The two groups did not differ in terms of age, body mass index, American Society of Anaesthesiologists-score, comorbidities, septic disease or preoperative neurological deficit. The two methods associated with similar postoperative stays in the intensive care unit, overall hospital stays, complication rates and postoperative survival. However, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) associated with a significantly shorter operating time, a lower perioperative need for blood products and, as expected, an increased intraoperative fluoroscopy duration. Conclusions Our nine-year experience suggests that MIS is safe and effective for spontaneous pyogenic thoracic and lumbar spondylodiscitis.