[Long-term results following treatment of spondylitis]

The preliminary results of a follow-up examination of patients with spondylitis are presented. The 127 patients concerned comprised 94 specific and 33 nonspecific cases. With the combination of conservative treatment (immobilisation, chemotherapy) and surgery (excision of an abscess, chip spondylodesis), all but two of the infections (one progressive infection, one recurrence) proved manageable. At the time of the follow-up examination, bony reorganisation had occurred in all but 8 cases. But also the segments in which bony reorganisation had not yet taken place, were functionally stable. Despite the good physical results of treatment, the social impairment due to the disease remained considerable. The results obtained compare well with those reported in the literature (2).