Treatment of spinal infections

Inflammation of the spine or spondylodiscitis is a rare bacterial inflammation of the vertebra and intervertebral disc. This suppurative inflammation can involve the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, spinal canal and surrounding tissues.

Microbes that cause inflammation spread to the spine mostly from other parts of the body through the blood circulation. Inflammation can also occur after surgical treatment of the spine.

Diagnosing the disease is often difficult because the complaints are general and non-specific. The patient usually has back pain and fever, and blood tests may show an increase in inflammatory markers. To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to take a sample from the blood or the spine to identify the specific microbe causing infection.

To effectively treat spondylodiscitis, the patient needs weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy. With early diagnosis and proper antibacterial therapy, surgical treatment is usually avoidable.

Surgical treatment is necessary if, as a result of purulent inflammation, the spine becomes unstable and spinal curvature disorder or paralysis develops.