Debridement, decompression and interbody fusion by using biportal spine endoscopy on patients diagnosed with lumbar spine tuberculosis: 1 year follow-up

Abstract Objectives The study is aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes of debridement, decompression and interbody fusion by using biportal spine endoscopy to treat patients diagnosed with lumbar spine tuberculosis (LST). Methods Forty patients diagnosed with LST who underwent debridement, decompression and interbody fusion by using biportal spine endoscopy between January 2020 to March 2021 were studied. The operation time, blood loss, complication rate, fusion rate, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswetry disability index (ODI), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and kyphotic Cobb’s angle were measured to explore the effects on LST patients. Results The patients were followed up for 12–16 months, with a mean of 14.6 months. The mean operation time was 223.4 ± 94.4 min (range, 140–410 min), together with 235.0 ± 190.5 cc of blood loss (range, 120–700 cc). From preoperation till last phase of follow-up, the mean preoperative VAS (5.86 ± 0.86) and ODI (74.29 ± 6.26) decreased significantly to 1.57 ± 0.65 and 8.29 ± 3.05, respectively. Additionally, the mean JOA increased from preoperative (10.29 ± 2.58) to (24.93 ± 1.86). Meanwhile, the mean preoperative ESR and CRP (74.36 ± 8.18 and 71.28 ± 8.58, respectively) decreased to average values. The preoperative kyphotic Cobb’s angle (21.40 ± 2.22 ) decreased to (9.86 ± 0.76 ) postoperatively. However, the kyphotic correction remained unchanged at the last phase of follow up. Furthermore, the fusion rate was identified to be 90%. Besides, the complication rate was 7.3% ( three cases of cerebrospinal fluid leakage). Conclusion Debridement, decompression and interbody fusion by using biportal spine endoscopy might be an ideal options to treat LST patients. More long term and multi-samples studies are needed to further verify the perspective.