Spinal hydatidosis

• Published in: Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Vol. 30; no. 21; pp. 2439 - 2444
• Main Authors: HERRERA, Antonio, MARTINEZ, Angel Antonio, RODRIGUEZ, Javier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Lippincott 01-11-2005; Hagerstown, MD
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Albendazole - therapeutic use; Antinematodal Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Cerebrospinal fluid. Spinal cord. Spinal roots. Spinal nerves; Combined Modality Therapy; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - drug therapy; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - pathology; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - surgery; Echinococcosis, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Echinococcosis, Pulmonary - pathology; Echinococcosis, Pulmonary - surgery; Echinococcus granulosus - isolation & purification; Female; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Mebendazole - therapeutic use; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Neurosurgery; Postoperative Complications; Reoperation; Retrospective Studies; Spinal Diseases - parasitology; Spinal Diseases - pathology; Spinal Diseases - therapy; Spine - parasitology; Spine - pathology; Spine - surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Treatment Outcome; Nervous system diseases; Vertebral canal; Parasitosis; Hydatid cyst; Helminthiasis; Cestode disease; hydatidosis; Infection; Treatment; Central nervous system disease; Echinococciasis; Spinal cord disease; antihelmintic treatment
• ISSN: 0362-2436; 1528-1159
• DOI: 10.1097/01.brs.0000184688.68552.90

Retrospective study.
To revise the treatment of spinal hydatidosis.
About 50% of cases of bone hydatidosis are spinal.
Twenty patients with spinal hydatidosis were treated. There were 13 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 53.1 years. The median follow-up was 4.8 years. The infected area was the cervical spine in 1 patient, the dorsal spine in 7, the lumbar spine in 7, and the sacrum in 5. Curettage and resection of the infected bone were performed. The spine was exposed posteriorly in all but 2 patients. An additional posterior decompression and fusion with instrumentation were performed after removing the involved posterior elements in 8 patients. An anterior approach was used in 2 patients: a total corpectomy was performed and a bone graft was added. Two weeks later, a posterior decompression and fixation with instrumentation was done. No preoperative drugs were used. Medical antihelmintic treatment was used after surgery in all but 8 patients.
Thirteen patients had spinal cord injury at the moment of surgery. The neurologic damage recovered only in 1 case. Repeated curettage was necessary in 13 cases: in 12 of them because of recurrence and in 1 because of surgical wound infection. In 6 cases of recurrence, there was also chronic wound infection. At last follow-up, 17 patients were free of disease.
The treatment of choice of spinal hydatidosis is surgical removal of the affected vertebrae combined with posterior stabilization, followed by postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Recurrence is very frequent.