Sacroiliac joint tuberculosis: surgical management by posterior open-window focal debridement and joint fusion

Clinical features and surgical management of tuberculous arthritis of the sacroiliac joint: a retrospective analysis of 33 patients

Background

We reviewed 3 different types of tuberculous sacroiliitis via anterior and posterior approaches to determine the efficacy and safety of this surgical approach by describing clinical presentation, imaging, and surgical treatment.

Methods

We reviewed 33 patients with 3 different types of severe tuberculous sacroiliitis, of which 16 patients with anterior iliac abscess underwent anterior debridement. 17 patients underwent posterior debridement. Among them, 5 patients with lumbar tuberculosis underwent lesion debridement through fenestration, joint fusion, and interbody fusion and internal fixation. The mean postoperative follow-up was 16.9 months (12–25 months).Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to judge the postoperative condition and functional recovery.

Results

All patients’ hip, back and lower back pain symptoms were significantly relieved after surgical treatment. At 3 months after operation, the VAS and ODI scores of all patients decreased significantly.

Conclusion

Surgical treatment of tuberculous sacroiliitis should be performed as soon as possible under the adjuvant chemotherapy of anti-tuberculosis drugs. According to the different characteristics of sacroiliac joint tuberculosis, appropriate surgical operations should be adopted according to our classification criteria.

Sacroiliac joint tuberculosis revisited - A clinico-radiological review

Osteoarticular Tuberculosis (TB) of the Sacroiliac (SI) joint is an uncommon site affected by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection. The SI joint is involved in approximately 5-10% of all cases of TB. Diagnosis of SI joint TB can be delayed in early stages due to its varied and hidden presentation and probability of being confused with other spinal diseases. Delay in diagnosis can lead to chronic pain, joint destruction, and a natural progression to symptomatic bony ankylosis. A focused clinical examination, complementary imaging, microbiological and histopathological confirmation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis can direct a targeted therapy. Anti-Tubercular Therapy (ATT) regime remains a cornerstone in the overall management of SI joint TB. Early diagnosis allows conservative or non-operative management. Surgical interventions like abscess drainage, debridement, and arthrodesis with or without bone grafting may be required to achieve an excellent functional outcome.

Functional Outcomes in Spinal Tuberculosis: A Review of the Literature

Spinal tuberculosis often leads to neurological deficit and subsequent deterioration in functional outcomes. This review assesses the recent evidence on functional outcomes in spinal tuberculosis, highlighting functional recovery, assessment tools for functional measures, and associative factors for functional recovery. Using PubMed, a literature search was done using the terms “spinal tuberculosis,” “tuberculous spondylitis,” “tuberculous spondylodiscitis,” and “functional outcome” for original articles published between January 2010 and December 2019. A total of 191 search results were found. Detailed screening showed that 19 articles met the eligibility criteria: 13 of these focused on surgical methods, four on conservative management, and two on rehabilitation approaches. The outcome measures used for functional assessment were the Oswestry Disability Index (11 articles), Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (n=3), modified Barthel Index (n=2), Functional Independence Measure (n=2), and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (n=1). Functional outcome was mainly affected by pain, spinal cord compression, and inpatient rehabilitation. No significant difference in functional outcome was found between conservative management and surgery for cases with uncomplicated spinal tuberculosis. Most studies focused on surgery as the mode of treatment and used pain-related functional measures; however, these assessed functional limitations secondary to pain, and not neurological deficits. Further studies may consider examining functional outcomes in spinal tuberculosis by utilizing spinal cord-specific functional outcome measures, to evaluate outcome measures as a prognostic tool, and to measure functional outcomes from specific rehabilitation interventions.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis concealed by enterococcal sacroiliitis

A 77-year-old African American female with rheumatoid arthritis presented with fever and unsteady gait. She was started on broad-spectrum antimicrobials due to CT evidence for sacroiliitis and psoas abscess and underwent partial excision of her sacroiliac bone and drainage of the abscess. One of four blood cultures grew Enterococcus faecalis and the patient was sent home with intravenous ampicillin for 6 weeks. Two days after antimicrobial completion, the patient presented with night sweats and weakness. Chest x-ray revealed new right upper lobe pulmonary infiltrates, and the AFB culture sent during her prior admission returned positive for TB. RIPE therapy with moxifloxacin was initiated. Although she responded well to treatment, she retained functional immobility. We report a case of musculoskeletal TB initially misdiagnosed as enterococcus sacroiliitis, resulting in a delayed initiation of anti-tuberculous therapy. A high index of suspicion and rapid detection with TB-PCR testing should be considered to avoid delayed diagnosis.