Clinical outcomes and surgical strategy for spine tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Spinal tuberculosis (TB) is a slow-developing disease that often causes cord compression, spinal instability, and deformity. Surgery is generally required in cases of refractory disease, severe kyphosis, neurological deficits, or lack of improvement. However, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence in comparing the efficacy of various surgical approaches. The study aims to provide a clearer understanding of the relative effectiveness of the available surgical modalities in the management of spinal TB.

This review adhered to the PRISMA statement with searching conducted until 11th April 2023. Inclusion criteria included studies involving surgical procedures for spinal tuberculosis, with relevant clinical outcomes reported. Data extraction involved the collection of information on study and population characteristics, interventions used, relevant clinical outcomes, and reported complications. The risk of bias was evaluated using Cochrane's Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies tool.

Searching resulted in 20 cohort studies that analyzed surgical methods for spinal tuberculosis. Eleven studies had low bias and nine studies had moderate bias. The anterior approach was associated with faster perioperative duration [- 2.02 (- 30.71, 26.67), p < 0.00001], less blood loss [- 4242 (- 176.02, 91.18), p < 0.00001], shorter hospitalization [- 0.19 (- 2.39, 2.01), p < 0.00001], better angle correction [1.01 (- 1.82, 3.85), p < 0.00001], and better correction rates [11.36 (- 7.32, 30.04), p < 0.00001] compared to the posterior approach. Regarding neurological function recovery, the anterior and posterior approaches were equally effective, while the posterior approach was associated with a higher incidence of complications. The review also reported on the complications associated with the surgical approaches, and 9 out of 20 studies reported complications. The anterior approach was found to have fewer complications overall.

The anterior approach is thought to have fewer complications than both combined and posterior-only approaches, but the variability of the findings indicates that the decision-making process for selecting a surgical approach must consider individual patient and disease characteristics, as well as surgeon training.