High rate of late revision with multiple Cutibacterium acnes tissue isolates in paediatric spinal deformity suggesting implant-associated infection.
Cutibacterium acnes was the most common organism isolated in adolescent scoliosis implant infections
High rate of late revision with multiple Cutibacterium acnes tissue isolates in paediatric spinal deformity suggesting implant-associated infection.
Postoperative spinal implant infection (postoperative spinal implant infection) causes significant morbidity and suffering and can occur long after surgery.
We also aimed to identify causative microorganisms, resistance to antibiotics and the influence of risk factors and evaluate resolution of infection.
Retrospective review on all adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (adolescent idiopathic scoliosis) and neuromuscular scoliosis(neuromuscular scoliosis) spinal fusion patients aged 10-18 at a university hospital between 2015 and 2021, with a 2-year follow-up of two.
Among adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, 38 cases of confirmed and 2 cases of likely postoperative spinal implant infection were identified.
Among neuromuscular scoliosis patients, 11 confirmed and 1 likely case were found.
The median time from primary surgery to reoperation was 20.0 months (range 0-63) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 14.0 months (range 0-79) for neuromuscular scoliosis.
Among infected patients, only 1 of 38 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients (2.6%) and 3 of 11 neuromuscular scoliosis patients (27.3%) required a second reoperation within 24 months.
The predominance of Cutibacterium acnes as the presumtive causative agent for the elevated rate of late revisions due to postoperative spinal implant infection in this paediatric deformity cohort highlights important challenges in current diagnostic frameworks and the definition of postoperative spinal implant infection.
Despite a high rate of successful single surgery treatment of infection, targeted prevention strategies against C. acnes are warranted in this or similar populations.