Clinical Value of Procalcitonin in Patients with Spinal Infection

The Need for Comprehensive Medical Management in Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis: A Review Article

The incidence of spontaneous or primary spondylodiscitis has been increasing over the years, affecting the aging population with multiple comorbidities. Several conditions influencing treatment outcomes stand out, such as diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, cardiovascular and respiratory dysfunction, and malnutrition. Due to these, the question arises regarding properly managing their current conditions and pre-existing disease states. Treatment plans must consider all concomitant comorbidities rather than just the infectious process. This can be done with the help of multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive care for patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis. To date, there is no article regarding comprehensive medicine for spontaneous pyogenic spondylodiscitis; hence, this paper reviews the evidence available in current literature, recognizes knowledge gaps, and suggests comprehensive care for treating patients with spinal infections. Pre-requisites for implementing multidisciplinary teams include leadership, administrative support, and team dynamics. This group comprises an appointed leader, coordinator, and different subspecialists, such as orthopedic surgeons, infectious disease specialists, internists, rehabilitation doctors, psychiatrists, microbiologists, radiologists, nutritionists, pharmacologists, nurses, and orthotists working together with mutual trust and respect. Employing collaborative teams allows faster time for diagnosis and improves clinical outcomes, better quality of life, and patient satisfaction. Forefront communication is clear and open between all team members to provide holistic patient care. With these in mind, the need for employing multidisciplinary teams and the feasibility of its implementation emerges, showing a promising and logical path toward providing comprehensive care in managing multimorbid patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

Thoracic spine infection caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

The clinical incidence of spinal infection is gradually increasing, and its onset is insidious, easily leading to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, which may lead to serious complications such as nervous system dysfunction, spinal instability and/or deformity, and cause a huge burden on society and families. Early identification of the causative agent and precision medicine will greatly reduce the suffering of patients. At present, the main pathogenic bacteria that cause spinal infection are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Pneumococcus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella. There are no reports of spinal infection caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a 32-year-old female patient with spinal infection. She presented with flank pain, initially thought to be bone metastases or bone tuberculosis, and had a family background of tumors. Her clinical features and changes in imaging and laboratory tests led to the suspicion of thoracic spine infection. Histopathology of the lesion showed inflammation, tissue culture of the lesion was negative several times, and the possible pathogen - Pseudomonas fluorescens was found after gene sequencing of the lesion. The patient recovered completely after a full course of antibiotic treatment.

CONCLUSION

This report increases the range of pathogens involved in spinal infections, highlights the unique advantages of gene sequencing technology in difficult-to-diagnose diseases, and validates conservative treatment with a full course of antibiotics for spinal infections without complications.

Cervical spine spondylodiscitis: Review of literature on current treatment strategies

Infections of the spine are an ever-increasing health concern requiring an often complex and prolonged treatment that can lead to significant morbidity. Of particular interest is the cervical spine where there is an increase rate of post-infectious deformity, secondary neurological deficits and substantially higher rates of associated morbidity and mortality than the thoracic or lumbar spine. In this review, we explore the diagnosis and treatment of spondylodiscitis with particular focus on the cervical spine.

2022 SPILF - Clinical Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of disco-vertebral infection in adults

These guidelines are an update of those made in 2007 at the request of the French Society of Infectious Diseases (SPILF, Société de Pathologie Infectieuse de Langue Française). They are intended for use by all healthcare professionals caring for patients with disco-vertebral infection (DVI) on spine, whether native or instrumented. They include evidence and opinion-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of patients with DVI. ESR, PCT and scintigraphy, antibiotic therapy without microorganism identification (except for emergency situations), therapy longer than 6 weeks if the DVI is not complicated, contraindication for spinal osteosynthesis in a septic context, and prolonged dorsal decubitus are no longer to be done in DVI management. MRI study must include exploration of the entire spine with at least 2 orthogonal planes for the affected level(s). Several disco-vertebral samples must be performed if blood cultures are negative. Short, adapted treatment and directly oral antibiotherapy or early switch from intravenous to oral antibiotherapy are recommended. Consultation of a spine specialist should be requested to evaluate spinal stability. Early lifting of patients is recommended.

The Incidence, Changes and Treatments of Cervical Deformity After Infection and Inflammation

A healthy cervical spine with normal movement is the basis of many daily activities and is essential for maintaining a good quality of life. However, the alignment, fusion, and structure of the cervical spine can change for various reasons, leading to cervical deformity, mainly kyphosis. Approximately 5%‒20% of spinal infections in the cervical spine cause cervical deformity. The deformity can recover early; however, the disease's long-term existence or the continuous action of abnormal stress may lead to intervertebral fusion and abnormal osteophytes. Many gaps and controversies exist regarding infectious cervical deformities, including a lack of clear definitions and an acceptable classification system thereby requiring further research. Moreover, there is no consensus on the indications for postinfectious cervical deformity associated with <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, and Brucellosis. Therefore, we reviewed and discussed the incidence, clinical manifestations, changes, and treatment of infectious and inflammatory secondary cervical deformities from common to rare to provide a theoretical basis for clinical decision-making.

Spondylodiscitis in children

Paediatric spondylodiscitis (SD) (discitis) is a rare bacterial infection involving the inter-vertebral disc space and adjacent vertebrae. The non-specific manifestations of SD can lead to delayed diagnosis, which may ultimately result in spinal deformities and even devastating neurological complications. The main purpose of this review is to discuss the epidemiology, clinical, laboratory and radiological features, management and outcome of paediatric SD to help paediatricians recognise and treat this important condition.

The diagnostic value of cytokines for the discrimination of vertebral osteomyelitis and degenerative diseases of the spine

Vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) is a primary infection of the endplates of the vertebral bodies with secondary infection of the adjacent intervertebral discs. Diagnosis is often delayed due to unspecific symptoms and a lack of specific infection markers. In this prospective study, we determined the suitability of 27 cytokines for the discrimination of VO and degenerative diseases of the spine and compared its diagnostic potential in relation to the C-reactive protein (CRP), which is widely used as a non-specific inflammation marker in clinical diagnostics. The patients included in this study underwent surgical stabilization of the lumbar and/or thoracic spine with removal of 1 or more affected intervertebral discs, as therapy for VO (n = 16) or for erosive osteochondrosis (EO, control group, n = 20). We evaluated the cytokine and CRP concentrations before (pre-OP = -20-0d where 0 means the day of surgery) and after surgery (post-OP) on days 3-5, 6-11, 40-56, and 63-142. Compared to the control patients pre-OP, a significantly higher elevation of the 4 cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 (p70), and VEGF as well as CRP were found in the VO patients, showing an area under the curve > 0.80 pre-OP. No significant differences were observed between VO patients with high and low virulent bacteria with respect to all 5 elevated biomarkers. This is the first prospective study in which a broad spectrum of 27 cytokines was analysed via multiplex assay using sera from patients with and without VO. Our results show that, in addition to CRP, 4 different cytokines were significantly altered in VO but not control patients. The results implicate that these candidate cytokines may be used in a multiplex assay for discrimination between VO and degenerative diseases of the spine.

A Clinical Prediction Tool for MRI in Emergency Department Patients with Spinal Infection

Introduction

Patients with pyogenic spinal Infection (PSI) are often not diagnosed at their initial presentation, and diagnostic delay is associated with increased morbidity and medical-legal risk. We derived a decision tool to estimate the risk of spinal infection and inform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) decisions.

Methods

We conducted a two-part prospective observational cohort study that collected variables from spine pain patients over a six-year derivation phase. We fit a multivariable regression model with logistic coefficients rounded to the nearest integer and used them for variable weighting in the final risk score. This score, SIRCH (spine infection risk calculation heuristic), uses four clinical variables to predict PSI. We calculated the statistical performance, MRI utilization, and model fit in the derivation phase. In the second phase we used the same protocol but enrolled only confirmed cases of spinal infection to assess the sensitivity of our prediction tool.

Results

In the derivation phase, we evaluated 134 non-PSI and 40 PSI patients; median age in years was 55.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 38–70 and 51.5 (42–59), respectively. We identified four predictors for our risk score: historical risk factors; fever; progressive neurological deficit; and C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥ 50 milligrams per liter (mg/L). At a threshold SIRCH score of ≥ 3, the predictive model’s sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were, respectively, as follows: 100% (95% confidence interval [CI], 100–100%); 56% (95% CI, 48–64%), and 40% (95% CI, 36–46%). The area under the receiver operator curve was 0.877 (95% CI, 0.829–0.925). The SIRCH score at a threshold of ≥ 3 would prompt significantly fewer MRIs compared to using an elevated CRP (only 99/174 MRIs compared to 144/174 MRIs, P <0.001). In the second phase (49 patient disease-only cohort), the sensitivities of the SIRCH score and CRP use (laboratory standard cut-off 3.5 mg/L) were 92% (95% CI, 84–98%), and 98% (95% CI, 94–100%), respectively.

Conclusion

The SIRCH score provides a sensitive estimate of spinal infection risk and prompts fewer MRIs than elevated CRP (cut-off 3.5 mg/L) or clinician suspicion.

Reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and in the early postnatal period

BACKGROUND

Early recognition of sepsis and prompt treatment improves patient outcome. C-reactive protein is a sensitive marker for tissue damage and inflammation, but procalcitonin has greater specificity for bacterial infection. Limited research exists regarding the use of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period.

AIM

This study sought to define reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term and the early postnatal period.

METHODS

A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in a university teaching hospital. Venous blood was collected from healthy women (n = 196), aged between 19 and 45 years with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, at term (37-40 weeks' gestation) and on day 1 and day 3 postpartum for the measurement of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin.

RESULTS

The reference population comprised of 189 participants: term pregnancy (n = 51), postpartum day 1 vaginal delivery (n = 70) and caesarean section (n = 38) and day 3 (caesarean section, n = 30). The maximum procalcitonin value at term pregnancy was 0.1 μg/L. On day 1 postpartum, 90% and 86.8% of procalcitonin results for vaginal delivery and caesarean section, respectively, were below the decision-threshold of 0.25 μg/L. The specificity of procalcitonin to rule out infection in the reference population was 91.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

Reference values for procalcitonin were established in a well-characterized population of healthy pregnant women at term and immediately postpartum. The variability of C-reactive protein limits its clinical utility in the assessment of systemic sepsis. Application of the procalcitonin cut-off of 0.25 μg/L in this population will be a valuable adjunct to clinicians ruling out infection in pregnancy and postpartum.

Procalcitonin -Vital Tool to Differentiate Septic Progression of Spondylodiscitis from Drug Hypersensitivity: A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature

Introduction

Drug hypersensitivity is an important differential diagnosis in patients of infective spondylodiscitis, who develop systemic symptoms such as fever, rash, and arthralgia while on treatment with antibiotics. As these symptoms may also be present in sepsis progression, differentiation between two is very difficult. Procalcitonin (PCT) is one of the important and specific biomarkers of early sepsis.

Case Report

We present a case of a 33-year-old male with deep post-operative spinal infection complicated by drug hypersensitivity and worsening of systemic parameters. Serum PCT levels helped us to make correct diagnosis and prevent unnecessary surgical debridement.

Conclusion

PCT, as a biomarker, can help distinguish the septic progression of spondylodiscitis from drug hypersensitivity and prove vital in clinical decision-making in these difficult scenarios.

[Spondylodiscitis]

Spondylodiscitis is an infection of the spine that first affects the vertebral endplates ("spondylitis") and then spreads to the adjacent intervertebral disc ("spondylodiscitis"). As it is a potentially life-threatening systemic disease rapid, often surgical treatment is required. Due to the multimorbidity of the patients and the complexity of the therapy, a multidisciplinary approach is essential. The vast majority of the cases heals under conservative therapy. An absolute indication for surgical therapy is given for acute septic courses or if there are new relevant neurological deficits. In addition, urgent surgical treatment is required for epidural abscesses that can be diagnosed by means of magnetic resonance imaging. In developed countries, over 90% of all spondylodiscitis cases come to a complete recovery.

Spinal Epidural Abscess: A Review of Presentation, Management, and Medicolegal Implications

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in diagnostic medicine, early recognition of SEAs remains elusive. The vague presentation of the disease, coupled with its numerous risk factors, the diagnostic requirement for obtaining advanced imaging, and the necessity of specialized care constitute extraordinary challenges to both diagnosis and treatment of SEA. Once diagnosed, SEAs require urgent or emergent medical and/or surgical management. As SEAs are a relatively rare pathology, high-quality data are limited and there is no consensus on their optimal management. This paper focuses on presenting the treatment modalities that have been successful in the management of SEAs and providing a critical assessment of how specific SEA characteristics may render one infection more amenable to primary surgical or medical interventions. This paper reviews the relevant history, epidemiology, clinical presentation, radiology, microbiology, and treatment of SEAs and concludes by addressing the medicolegal implications of delayed treatment of the disease.

Procalcitonin, C-Reactive Protein, and Neutrophil Ratio Contribute to the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Severe Acute Pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

We aimed to explore the significance of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil ratio (N%) in the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).

METHODS

A total of 104 patients with SAP (SAP group) and 101 patients with mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) (MAP group) admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China were enrolled. The PCT and CRP in serum were detected by a full-automatic biochemical analyzer, and N% in peripheral blood was measured by a hemocyte analyzer.

RESULTS

The peripheral blood PCT, CRP, and N% in the SAP group were significantly higher than those in the MAP group (P<0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Ranson score, PCT, CRP, and N% were independent risk factors for SAP. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the area under curve (AUC) of PCT, CRP, and N% in diagnosing SAP were 0.906, 0.840, and 0.834 respectively, while that of combined detection was 0.972. The AUC of PCT, CRP, and N% in diagnosing SAP death were 0.907, 0.900, and 0.894, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Peripheral blood PCT, CRP, and N% contribute to the diagnosis and prognosis of SAP.

Changes of Biomarkers before and after Antibiotic Treatment in Spinal Infection

Objective

The laboratory biomarkers used to diagnose spinal infection include white blood cell (WBC) counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Recently, procalcitonin (PCT) has been used as a biomarker to distinguish between bacterial infection and non-bacterial infection. We aimed to compare the changes of conventional biomarker and PCT in patients with spinal infection before and after antibiotic treatment.

Methods

ESR, CRP, WBC counts, and PCT were measured in 29 patients diagnosed with pyogenic spinal infection at our hospital between May 2016 and December 2018 prior to antibiotic administration. After antibiotic administration, the values were followed up for 4 weeks at 1-week intervals.

Results

A total of 29 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 67.8 years, consisting of 16 men and 13 women. Twenty-five patients had lumbar infections, and 2 each had cervical and thoracic infections. The mean ESR, CRP, PCT, and WBCs decreased at week 4 of antibiotic treatment compared to their baseline values. CRP and WBCs were significantly decreased after 4 weeks of treatment compared to before treatment. The mean ESR and PCT was not statistically significant compared to pretreatment and after antibiotic treatment (p-value>0.05).

Conclusion

Among several biomarker, CRP and WBCs are biomarkers that can aid early evaluation of the effects of antibiotic treatment in pyogenic spondylitis. Although PCT did not have statistical significance, it can be used as a biomarker that reflects the effect of antibiotic and severity of infection.

Pediatric spinal infections-a review of non-tuberculous infections

Pediatric spinal infection includes spinal epidural abscess, spondylodiscitis and intradural (extramedullary and intramedullary) spinal infections. However, these entities are extremely rare and no clear guidelines exist for their management. Pertinent literature was searched and a detailed narrative review of this topic is presented.

Value of procalcitonin as a marker of surgical site infection following spinal surgery

AIM

To compare the value of Procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker of surgical site infection to other inflammatory markers, including C-Reactive Protein (CRP), White Cell Count (WCC) and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) in patients undergoing a number of spinal procedures. This study also aims to describe the biokinetic profile of the above-named markers in patients developing surgical site infection and those remaining infection-free post-operatively.

METHODS

200 patients undergoing four routine elective spinal procedures were included for analysis. All patients had blood specimens taken at baseline, day 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 post-operatively for analysis of PCT, CRP, ESR and WCC levels. All patients were monitored for early surgical site infection. Patients with other sources of infection in the early postoperative period were excluded.

RESULTS

Procalcitonin was the most sensitive and specific marker for the detection of surgical site infection in the immediate post-operative period with sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 95.2% respectively. Although Procalcitonin is an inflammatory marker, extent of surgical physiological insult did not alter its biokinetics as opposed to the other inflammatory markers making it a valuable marker of infection.

CONCLUSION

Procalcitonin was found to be superior to the other inflammatory markers investigated in this study as a marker for early surgical site infection in patients undergoing spinal surgery.

Thoracic Discitis in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Chronic ankylosing spondylitis can lead to several rare long-term complications including cauda equina syndrome and inflammatory discitis especially without treatment. These complications are uncommon, but there is evidence that they can be treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. We present a case of a 52-year-old male with a 30-year history of undiagnosed ankylosing spondylitis with cauda equina syndrome on initial outpatient presentation with a negative lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He was admitted later that month and was found to have thoracic discitis from MRI requiring emergent decompressive laminectomy. The neurosurgeon collected a culture of the surgical site which showed rare Gram-positive cocci on Gram stain. Infectious disease was consulted, and he was started on empiric vancomycin. The culture from the surgical site did not grow any organisms. Interventional radiology (IR) aspirated the T7-T8 disk area one week later. The initial Gram stain showed rare Gram-negative rods this time, and cefepime was added to the patient's antibiotic regimen. The culture from the disk aspiration again grew no organisms. Rheumatology was then consulted and hypothesized that the patient's discitis could be secondary to inflammation from long-standing ankylosing spondylitis. The hospitalist, infectious disease specialist, and rheumatologist reviewed the case and recommended a six-week course of vancomycin and cefepime despite the negative cultures as an infectious etiology could not be excluded. He did show some clinical improvement after surgery and was started on adalimumab following completion of empiric antibiotics. This case highlights the difficulty in distinguishing between an infectious and inflammatory etiology for discitis in the setting of long-standing ankylosing spondylitis. The initiation of biological therapy without completely excluding the possibility of infection could lead to devastating consequences. It will likely be necessary to empirically treat for infection with these cases for the foreseeable future until there are more definitive tests to diagnose or exclude infectious discitis.

Management of spinal infection: a review of the literature

Spinal infection (SI) is defined as an infectious disease affecting the vertebral body, the intervertebral disc, and/or adjacent paraspinal tissue and represents 2–7% of all musculoskeletal infections. There are numerous factors, which may facilitate the development of SI including not only advanced patient age and comorbidities but also spinal surgery. Due to the low specificity of signs, the delay in diagnosis of SI remains an important issue and poor outcome is frequently seen. Diagnosis should always be supported by clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remaining the most reliable method. Management of SI depends on the location of the infection (i.e., intraspinal, intervertebral, paraspinal), on the disease progression, and of course on the patient’s general condition, considering age and comorbidities. Conservative treatment mostly is reasonable in early stages with no or minor neurologic deficits and in case of severe comorbidities, which limit surgical options. Nevertheless, solely medical treatment often fails. Therefore, in case of doubt, surgical treatment should be considered. The final result in conservative as well as in surgical treatment always is bony fusion. Furthermore, both options require a concomitant antimicrobial therapy, initially applied intravenously and administered orally thereafter. The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy remains controversial, but should never undercut 6 weeks. Due to a heterogeneous and often comorbid patient population and the wide variety of treatment options, no generally applicable guidelines for SI exist and management remains a challenge. Thus, future prospective randomized trials are necessary to substantiate treatment strategies.

[Spondylodiscitis : Current strategies for diagnosis and treatment]

Spondylodiscitis is a severe infectious disease of the intervertebral discs and of the adjacent parts of the vertebral bodies, culminating in destruction of the mobile segment. It is accompanied by a mortality rate of approximately 15%. Severe courses of the disease can also lead to abscess formation and dispersal of sepsis. Malpositioning of the axis organ and deficits in neurological function up to paraplegia are also possible complications. Timely diagnostics and targeted therapy contribute to minimizing the risk of significant health disorders. This review article gives a summary of important algorithms in the diagnostics and treatment and discusses them against the background of currently available literature. According to the current state of knowledge the surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis provides many advantages and is therefore the method choice, even if a conservative approach can be successful in selected cases. The endpoints of treatment are cleansing of the infection with normalization of laboratory parameters of inflammation and the osseous fusion of the mobile segment.

Infectious Discitis and Spondylodiscitis in Children

In children, infectious discitis (D) and infectious spondylodiscitis (SD) are rare diseases that can cause significant clinical problems, including spinal deformities and segmental instabilities. Moreover, when the infection spreads into the spinal channel, D and SD can cause devastating neurologic complications. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce these risks. The main aim of this paper is to discuss recent concepts regarding the epidemiology, microbiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric D and SD. It is highlighted that particular attention must be paid to the identification of the causative infectious agent and its sensitivity to antibiotics, remembering that traditional culture frequently leads to negative results and modern molecular methods can significantly increase the detection rate. Several different bacterial pathogens can cause D and SD, and, in some cases, particularly those due to Staphylococcus aureus, Kingella kingae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella spp., the appropriate choice of drug is critical to achieve cure.

Distribution of HIV-1 in the genomes of AIDS patients

The localization of HIV-1 proviruses in compositional DNA fractions from 27 AIDS patients during the chronic phase of the disease with depletion of CD4+ and different levels of viremia showed the following. (1) At low viremia, proviruses are predominantly localized in the GC-richest isochores, which are characterized by an open chromatin structure; this result mimics findings on HIV-1 integration in early infected cells in culture. (2) At higher viremia, an increased distribution of proviruses in GC-poor isochores (which match the GC poorness of HIV-1) was found; this suggests a selection of cells in which the 'isopycnic' localization leads to a higher expression of proviruses and, in turn, to higher viremia. (3) At the highest viremia, integrations in GC-rich isochores are often predominant again, but generally not at the same level as in (1); this may be the consequence of new integrations from the extremely abundant RNA copies.