Turkish Neurosurgery
Evaluation of Empirical Antibiotic Treatment in Culture-Negative Pyogenic Vertebral Osteomyelitis
Mustafa DOGAN1, Abdullah Talha SIMSEK2, Ibrahim YILMAZ3, Numan KARAARSLAN 4
1Namik Kemal University School of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Tekirdağ,
2Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Health, Harakani State Hospital, Neurosurgery , Kars,
3Istanbul Medipol University School of Medicine, Medical Pharmacology, Istanbul,
4Namik Kemal University School of Medicine, Neurosurgery , Tekirdağ,
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.25018-18.2

Aim:Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO), also known as intervertebral disc space infection, is a rare pathology that leads to significant diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of empirical antibiotic treatment in culture-negative PVO cases.Material and Methods:The records of patients with culture-negative PVO who were treated at infectious disease and neurosurgery outpatient clinics in the past four years were examined retrospectively. The control group comprised healthy subjects with similar age, gender, and body mass index but no pathology. In the statistical evaluation of the obtained data, the comparison of the groups was performed by analysis of variance. Statistical significance was accepted as <0.05.Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the white blood cell and erythrocyte sedimentation rate values between the spondylodiscitis group and the healthy subjects group when the blood parameters obtained before and after the treatment were examined (P>0.05). However, a statistical significance was observed in the results of the comparison for C-reactive protein (P<0.05). Conclusion:In the context of evidence-based medicine and the rational use of antibiotics, it is clear that antibiotics should be preferred according to the culture antibiogram results in the treatment of infectious diseases.

Corresponding author : Numan KARAARSLAN