Percutaneous curettage and continuous irrigation were performedfor definitive diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous (TB) lumbarspondylitis. Under local anaesthesia, affected lumbar discs werecuretted using a procedure of percutaneous nucleotomy, and in-tubeand the out-tube were placed for continuous irrigation. The periodof continuous irrigation was 12–16 days. Mycobacteriumtuberculosis was demonstrated in case 1 by culture and PCR,whereas histology showed tuberculous lesion with caseous necrosisin both cases. Postoperative MRI showed markedly reduced abscessesafter 3 months in both cases. The signal intensity in vertebralbodies was improved. In Case 2, CT observations showed remodelingover time in the vertebral body cavities. This method isadvantageous in that although minimally invasive, it achievesidentification of pathogenic bacteria and treatmentsimultaneously. This surgical procedure is expected to proveeffective for both TB and pyogenic spondylitis.
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