Minimally invasive spine surgery in spinal infections

Infections of the spine have been a constant throughout history. At present there are infections in the spine fostered in part by the same advances in medicine: there are a lot of immunocompromised patients, the life expectancy of patients with chronic diseases is augmented and the increasing number of complex spinal surgeries can result in secondary infection. In this review the main types of infection of the spine and its treatment highlighting techniques in minimally invasive surgery are discussed. Spontaneous pyogenic and nonpyogenic spine infections as well as iatrogenic infections can be treated in a different manner depending on its extension, location and microorganism involved. We will review the use and the indication of percutaneous image-guided techniques, endoscopic and microsurgical techniques with or without use of tubular retractors. We conclude that techniques in minimally invasive surgery in spine infections are safe, effective and have benefits in morbidity of the approach and subsequent patient recovery.