[Prophylactic antibiotics in lumbar disc surgery: analysis of 1,030 procedures]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of perioperative antibiotic administration in the prophylaxis of wound infection in lumbar disc surgery.

In 1989, 541 conventional lumbar discectomies were performed to treat nucleus pulposus prolapse in 533 patients at the neurosurgical department of the Benjamin-Franklin-Hospital (Free University of Berlin). Each patient received 2 g of the antibiotic Cefotiam intravenously at induction of anesthesia. During the previous year no antibiotic was administered in 636 similar operations (in 628 Patients). Acquisition of data was performed retrospectively. After statistical stratification there remained 492 procedures in 461 patients in the prophylaxis group and 538 procedures in 475 patients in the control group. Regarding patients age, duration of the surgical procedure and distribution of individual surgeons there were no significant differences between these two groups.

The rate of infection was 0.2 % (n=1) in operations performed after antibiotic administration versus 2.8 % (n=15) in procedures without antibiotic prophylaxis. This difference is statistically significant (p < 0.0001).

In accordance with the reviewed literature, this study confirms that one preoperative intravenous ('single shot') administration of Cefotiam is effective in decreasing the rate of postoperative wound infections in lumbar disc surgery.