• P Journeau, A Koura, P Mary, J P Padovani, and P Touzet.
• Service d'Orthopédie Traumatologie Infantile, Hôpital des Enfants Malades, Paris.
• Rev Chir Orthop Reparatrice Appar Mot. 1999 May 1;85(2):117-24.

PurposeWe report a series of 6 Pott's disease paraplegias treated between 1982 and 1996.Materials And MethodOut of 15 children suffering from Pott's disease, 6 had paraplegia. Treatment consisted of anterior medullar decompression and anterior spine fusion with bone grafting. Two or three weeks later, posterior spine fusion was achieved systematically using a CD fixation device in 3 cases.ResultsNeurological signs completely disappeared in 5 children. Vertebral fusion was correct in all patients and kyphosis was less than 50 degrees.DiscussionThe posterior approach to the spine must be proscribed as a first step, except for spine dislocation. The anterior approach allowed us to drain the abscess, to correct the kyphosis, and to perform an anterior spine fusion. The posterior spine fusion was performed a few weeks later in order to avoid kyphosis aggravation.ConclusionPrognosis of Pott's disease is good but at the present time, paraplegia remains too frequent. Adapted treatment must be performed without delay.

26 keywords...

hide…