Acute angulation at the thoracolumbar junction with segmental subluxation of the spine occurring at the level above an anteriorly hypoplastic vertebra in otherwise normal children is a rare condition described as infantile developmental thoracolumbar kyphosis. Three patient series with total of 18 children have been reported in the literature. We report five children who presented with thoracolumbar kyphosis and discuss the treatment algorithm. We reviewed the medical records and spinal imaging at initial clinical presentation and at minimum two-year follow-up. The mean age at presentation was eight months (two to 12). All five children had L2 anterior vertebral body hypoplasia. The kyphosis improved spontaneously in three children kept under monitoring. In contrast, the deformity was progressive in two patients who were treated with bracing. The kyphosis and segmental subluxation corrected at latest follow-up (mean age 52 months; 48 to 60) in all patients with near complete reconstitution of the anomalous vertebra. The deformity and radiological imaging on a young child can cause anxiety to both parents and treating physicians. Diagnostic workup and treatment algorithm in the management of infantile developmental thoracolumbar kyphosis is proposed. Observation is indicated for non-progressive kyphosis and bracing if there is evidence of kyphosis and segmental subluxation deterioration beyond walking age. Surgical stabilisation of the spine can be reserved for severe progressive deformities unresponsive to conservative treatment.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:982–7.

We undertook a retrospective study investigating the accuracy and safety of percutaneous pedicle screws placed under fluoroscopic guidance in the lumbosacral junction and lumbar spine. The CT scans of patients were chosen from two centres: European patients from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, and Asian patients from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Screw perforations were classified into grades 0, 1, 2 and 3. A total of 880 percutaneous pedicle screws from 203 patients were analysed: 614 screws from 144 European patients and 266 screws from 59 Asian patients. The mean age of the patients was 58.8 years (16 to 91) and there were 103 men and 100 women. The total rate of perforation was 9.9% (87 screws) with 7.4% grade 1, 2.0% grade 2 and 0.5% grade 3 perforations. The rate of perforation in Europeans was 10.4% and in Asians was 8.6%, with no significant difference between the two (p = 0.42). The rate of perforation was the highest in S1 (19.4%) followed by L5 (14.9%). The accuracy and safety of percutaneous pedicle screw placement are comparable to those cited in the literature for the open method of pedicle screw placement. Greater caution must be taken during the insertion of L5 and S1 percutaneous pedicle screws owing to their more angulated pedicles, the anatomical variations in their vertebral bodies and the morphology of the spinal canal at this location.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015; 97-B:1111–17.

An eight-week-old boy developed severe thoracic spondylodiscitis following pneumonia and septicaemia. A delay in diagnosis resulted in complete destruction of the T4 and T5 vertebral bodies and adjacent discs, with a paraspinal abscess extending into the mediastinum and epidural space. Antibiotic treatment controlled the infection and the abscess was aspirated. At the age of six months, he underwent posterior spinal fusion in situ to stabilise the spine and prevent progressive kyphosis. At the age of 13 months, repeat imaging showed lack of anterior vertebral body re-growth and he underwent anterior spinal fusion from T3 to T6 and augmentation of the posterior fusion. At the age of five years, he had no symptoms and radiographs showed bony fusion across the affected levels.

Spondylodiscitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of infants who present with severe illness and atypical symptoms. Delayed diagnosis can result in major spinal complications with a potentially fatal outcome.

We report on two cases of infective spondylodiscitis caused by Gemella haemolysans in otherwise healthy patients. This organism has only rarely been identified as a cause of bone and joint infection, with only two previous reports of infective spondylodiscitis.

We describe the clinical features, investigations and treatment options.

The April 2012 Spine Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at yoga for lower back pain, spinal tuberculosis, complications of spinal surgery, fusing the subaxial cervical spine, minimally invasive surgery and osteoporotic vertebral fractures, spinal surgery in the over 65s, and pain relief after spinal surgery

Inflammatory markers such as the C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count and body temperature are easy to measure and are used as indicators of infection. The way in which they change in the early post-operative period after instrumented spinal surgery has not been reported in any depth.

We measured these markers pre-operatively and at one, four, seven and 14 days postoperatively in 143 patients who had undergone an instrumented posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

The CRP proved to be the only sensitive marker and had returned to its normal level in 48% of patients after 14 days. The CRP on day 7 was never higher than that on day 4. Age, gender, body temperature, operating time and blood loss were not related to the CRP level. A high CRP does not in itself suggest infection, but any increase after four days may presage infection.

We examined patient and surgical factors associated with deep surgical site infection (SSI) following total hip replacement (THR) in a large integrated healthcare system. A retrospective review of a cohort of primary THRs performed between 2001 and 2009 was conducted. Patient characteristics, surgical details, surgeon and hospital volumes, and SSIs were identified using the Kaiser Permanente Total Joint Replacement Registry (TJRR). Proportional-hazard regression models were used to assess risk factors for SSI. The study cohort consisted of 30 491 THRs, of which 17 474 (57%) were performed on women. The mean age of the patients in the whole series was 65.5 years (13 to 97; sd 11.8) and the mean body mass index was 29.3 kg/m² (15 to 67; sd 5.9). The incidence of SSI was 0.51% (155 of 30 491). Patient factors associated with SSI included female gender, obesity, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 3. Age, diagnosis, diabetes and race were not associated with SSI. The only surgical factor associated with SSI was a bilateral procedure. Surgeon and hospital volumes, use of antibiotic-laden cement, fixation method, laminar flow, body exhaust suits, surgical approach and fellowship training were not associated with risk of SSI.

A comprehensive infection surveillance system, combined with a TJRR, identified patient and surgical factors associated with SSI. Obesity and chronic medical conditions should be addressed prior to THR. The finding of increased SSI risk with bilateral THR requires further investigation.

We studied 15 patients with healed tuberculosis of the spine and a resultant kyphosis. We selected only those with no neurological deficit and performed a wedge resection of the vertebra using a transpedicular approach. The wedge was removed from the apex of the deformity. For those with a neurological deficit, we chose the conventional anterior debridement and decompression with 360° circumferential fusion. At a mean follow-up of 26.8 months (8 to 46) the outcome was good with an increase in the mean Oswestry Disability Index from 56.26 (48 to 62) pre-operatively to 11.2 (6 to 16) at the latest follow-up.