[Surgical management of Pott's paraplegia]

A series of 19 patients suffering Pott's paraplegia was reviewed in a ten-year period. Ever since their admission they were submitted to an antiphthisic and orthopedic medical treatment for 3 to four weeks. A medullar decompression by reaching the focus through different surgical technics was performed on 16 of them. 3 did not require such procedure; 14 recovered completely; 2 partial recovery and 3 did not recover at all. The degree of kyphosis together with affected vertebrae and area, plus ossifluent abscess, the lack of sphincter control and pre-treatment evolution were correlated with recovery from paraplegia.