POSTOPERATIVE INTERVERTEBRAL DISCITIS

Discitis is a rare complication of disc operation. During a 10-yr-period 1100 patients were operated for lumbar disc herniation and only 8 patients developed postoperative discitis. The symptoms began 3 wk after the operation and the most prominent clinical feature was back pain with muscle spasm. The sedimentation rate was highly elevated but the body temperature was slightly elevated for only a few days. Typical radiographic findings were narrowing of the affected disc space and end-plate resorption 3-4 wk after the initial symptoms. In the early phase, CT [computed tomography] showed hypodense disc material in the affected disc space, which may be the 1st radiological sign of discitis.