Pott’s disease in twenty first century: A three-year study from an orthopaedic teaching institute of Himalayan region and a mini review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) of the spine if neglected can give rise to deformities and neural compromise. Early diagnosis and management can prevent these complications. In this series, we study the clinical-radiological presentation and present trends of spinal involvement in spinal TB (STB) in our Himalayan population. METHODS: This study was conducted from March 2017 to February 2020. Patient demography, clinical signs, and radiological parameters of the disease were recorded. RESULTS: 80 diagnosed patients with a mean age of 37.6 ± 19.1 years were included. Para-discal variety was the most common type (86.25%) with the lumbar region the most common region involved (46.9%). Cold abscess, deformity, and neural deficit were present in 11.25%, 36.25%, and 21.25% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study and the world literature suggest a global trend of the lumbar spine being involved more often in the twenty-first century than the thoracic spine. Besides, our Himalayan belt population had a lower incidence of clinically evident cold abscesses, discharging sinuses, spine deformities, and associated neural deficits, which is suggestive of the early presentation of our patients to the healthcare facilities.

Keywords

• tuberculosis
• spine
• pott’s disease