END RESULTS OF THE SPINE-FUSION OPERATION FOR TUBERCULOSIS OF THE SPINE

¹ New York Orthopaedic Dispensary and Hospital

1. Spine-fusion operations for tuberculosis of the spine were performed on 817 patients in the twenty-year period 1911 to 1930. Seventyone per cent. of these patients were followed for at least five years; of these, 61 per cent. were followed for periods of from ten to twenty-four years.

2. The demonstrable and expected benefits of a successful spine fusion are:

a. Rest to the diseased area;

b. Subsidence of the activity of the lesion at an early date;

c. Maintenance of the kyphos at the minimum amount of deformity;

d. Growth of the vertebral bodies in the fused area in children;

e. Possibility of the patient's being ambulatory at an early date;

f. Attainment of a permanent healthy roentgenographic appearance of the diseased vertebrae.

3. Excellent results were obtained in 72 per cent. of the children and in 53 per cent. of the older patients.

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