Pott's Disease (Spinal Tuberculosis) - Culture Results

9/18/02

Question: How often do negative cultures occur in Pott's disease confirmed by other means?

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Unique Identifier:8763187

Authors: Hayes AJ. Choksey M. Barnes N. Sparrow OC.

Institution: East London Tuberculosis Centre, Whitechapel, UK.

Title: Spinal tuberculosis in developed countries: difficulties in diagnosis.

Source: Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. 41(3):192-6, 1996 Jun.

Abstract: A review of 21 cases of patients with spinal tuberculosis has been performed, with special attention being paid to methods of diagnosis and the surgical treatment undertaken. We found that the clinical presentation of the condition was often similar to that of malignant disease within the spine, with the commonest presenting features being back pain (95%), an evaluated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (100%) and neurological deficits (47%). The radiological appearances were diagnostic of spinal tuberculosis in less than 50% of cases. Microbiological confirmation of the diagnosis was possible only by direct analysis of tissue or pus, either at operation or from a vertebral biopsy. The difficulty of diagnosing this condition and the implications that this has on the timing and nature of surgery in patients presenting with neurological deficits are discussed.