[Development and use of antitubercular biocompatible implants for the treatment of tuberculous spondylitis]

The paper deals with the experimental and clinical study of a new implantable therapeutical means based on biocompatible implants containing the antituberculous agent benemycin. The developed implantant having 4 coatings releases within 10 days as high as 37% of the applied drug benemycin. Then within further 30-70 days, release of the drug is 0.7% a day. The parallel bacteriological studies with the operative material placed in agar made 30-60 days after surgery have indicated that growth retardment in rabbits is 17-30 mm, which corresponds to the levels of rifandin (0.125-1.0 microgram/g tissue. The developed implantant has been used in 130 cases of the surgical treatment of tuberculous spondylitis in order to replace a defect of the body of a vertebra and to make a depot for the antituberculous drug just in the focus. Formation of the pulley at the site of intervention was noted in 57 (43.8%) cases within 5 months and in 62 (47.7%) cases within 10 months. The developed implantant has no toxicity and produces no allergic reactions. The position results of the treatment allows it to be recommended for use in clinical practice.