Tuberculous Spondylitis Treatment
Tuberculous spondylitis or Pott disease is one of the oldest demonstrated diseases of humankind, having been documented in spinal remains from the Iron Age in Europe and in ancient mummies from Egypt and the Pacific coast of South America. In 1779, Percivall Pott, for whom the disease is named, presented the classic description of spinal tuberculosis. Signs and symptoms Back pain Fever Night sweating Anorexia Spinal mass, sometimes associated with numbness, paraesthesia, or muscle weakness of the legs Difficulty standing Treatment Triple therapy: Streptomycin: initial 2-3 mths Isoniazid: 9 mths Rifampicin: 9 mths Commence antibiotics ~ 1 wk prior to surgery Indications for nonsurgical treatment alone are patients with early disease with minimal bone involvement and medical contraindications to operation Surgery is indicated in all others - especially in the paraplegia of active disease Surgery - recommended is the Hong-Kong operation- consists of excision of the disease focus and st...