OBJECTIVETo explore clinical outcomes and advantages of anterior small-incision focus debridement with posterior internal fixation through muscle spa ring in treating patients with lumbar spinal tuberculosis.

METHODSFrom February 2010 to February 2014, totally 82 patients with lumbar spinal tuberculosis were treated by posterior individual fixation with small-incision focus debridement,including 50 males and 32 females with an average of 50.5 years old. All patients were divided into two groups according to different procedures. Forty-nine patients in group A were treated with anterior small-incision focus debridement with posterior internal fixation through muscle spa ring at stage I ; and 33 patients in group B were treated with focus debridement with posterior internal fixation by extraperitoneal approach at stage I . Postoperative mechanical ventilation time, preoperative and postoperative Cobb angle, visual analogue scale (VAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and Frankel grading were observed and compared. Postoperative complications, stability of internal fixation and bone union were compared.

RESULTSAll patients were followed-up from 15 to 36 months with an average of 23.7 months. Psoas abscess of three patients in group A and 1 patient in group B on the opposite side increased and were healed by the secondary apocenosis. The other 78 cases were healed at stage I, and no sinus tract formation, incisional hernia, leakage of cerebrospinal and occurrence of spinal tuberculosis were occurred. Fracture healing time ranged from 3 to 7 months with an average of 4.6 months. Postoperative mechanical ventilation time and VAS score in group A was better than group B. There were no statistical differences in Cobb angle, ESR and Frankel grading at the final following-up between two groups.

CONCLUSIONAnterior small-incision focus debridement with posterior internal fixation through muscle spa ring in treating patients with lumbar spinal according to degree of damage is a safe and effective method.