Vertebral Osteomyelitis: Seven Years Experience of 85 Cases

Vertebral infections are a group of diseases such as spondylitis, discitis, vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess due to various microorganisms. Vertebral osteomyelitis comprises 2-7% of all pyogenic osteomyelitis and manifests a serious disease with an incidence rate varying between 1/100 000 to 1/250 000. The most common pathogens in vertebral osteomyelitis are S. aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci. In endemic countries, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Brucella spp. are also encountered as common pathogens. On the other hand, Gram negative aerobic bacteria and Candida spp. are commonly seen among intravenous drug addicts, immunosuppressed patients and postoperative cases. A microbiological diagnosis is essential to enable appropriate choice of therapeutic agents. Since confirmation of diagnosis by isolating the infectious agent is generally difficult in differential diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis, differences in clinical, laboratory and radiological findings are considered as more prominent. In this study, clinical, laboratory and radiological findings in cases of tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis (TVO), brucella vertebral osteomyelitis (BVO) and pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) were compared and key data with a significant impact on differential diagnosis were evaluated. Acta Medica Mediterranea, 2016, 32: 997