OBJECTIVETo analyze the un-healing cause and management after operation of thoracolumbar tuberculosis.

METHODSFrom January 2008 to December 2011, the data of 12 patients with postoperative un-healing thoracolumbar tuberculosis were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 males and 7 females, with an average age of 51.3 years old (ranged, 42 to 65). All the patients occurred different degree of vertebral destruction, abscess-formation, kyphosis and nerve functional injury at the first operation. Among them, 11 patients underwent debridement and fusion with autogenous iliac bone grafting and internal fixation, 1 patient underwent debridement and fusion with autogenous iliac bone grafting. At 2-6 months after operation, internal fixation loosening, fusion failure, abscess-ormation, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate increasing occurred in the patients. For the patients to adjust anti-tuberculosis scheme, 2 patients were treated with puncture to multiple abscess combining with rifampicin local injection; 10 patients were reoperated with debridement and internal fixation adjusting.

RESULTSAt 1-2.5 years (mean 1.8 years) after follow-up, 9 cases were cured finally. Re-admission had 3 cases because of re-occurred erythrocyte sedimentation rate increasing and abscess-formation at the 2-4 months after operation, whose bacterial culture showed more than 2 kinds of drug fast, and the treatment effect was still not ideal after adjusting anti-tuberculosis scheme.

CONCLUSIONInsufficient anti-tuberculosis and bad nutritional status before operation,incomplete debridement and unreasonable fixation style during operation, inadequate drainage, irregular anti-tuberculosis and drug fast of Bacillus tuberculosis after operation are main reasons leading to un-healing of tuberculosis. Therefore, actively improving malnutrition, making individual operation plan before operation, ensuring complete debridement, rebuilding spinal stability, removing the compression of spinal cord, combining with postoperative effective, enough, regular combination chemotherapy are important guarantee to cure of spinal tuberculosis.