Manual Homogenization Improves the Sensitivity of Microbiological Culture for Patients with Pyogenic Spondylitis

This study aimed to investigate the effects of manual homogenization on the sensitivity of microbiological culture for patients with pyogenic spondylitis.

From October 2018 to March 2021, patients undergoing fluoroscopy-guided biopsy or open debridement due to pyogenic spondylitis were recruited. Their demographic data and baseline characteristics were recorded. Tissue samples were obtained through fluoroscopy-guided biopsy or open debridement. Tissue samples were divided into three parts: manual homogenization (MH), manual mixture (MM), and pathological examination. Sterile normal saline was set as the negative control to exclude false-positive culture results. The Chi-square test was used to detect the difference of microbiological culture results.

Twenty-four consecutive patients (33 tissue cultures) with pyogenic spondylitis treated in our department between October 2018 and March 2021 were recruited in this study. The average age was 61.7±3.2 years old and 10 patients were female. The MH group had a significantly higher positive rate compared with the MM group in aerobic conditions: 78.8% (26 isolates) vs 54.5% (18 isolates), P=0.037 and anaerobic condition: 63.6% (21 isolates) vs 39.4% (13 isolates), P=0.049. The results of subgroup analyses showed that MH could improve the culture sensitivity for patients with previous antibiotics use and without paravertebral abscesses but not reach a significant level on statistics.

Based on the present study, manual homogenization could improve the sensitivity of microbiological cultures for patients with pyogenic spondylitis.