Spinal Cord Infections

Most spinal infections are treated intravenously through antibiotic therapy. However, should the infection be fungal-related, Dr Bomela will prescribe antifungal medication to treat the infection. In some cases, immobilisation is required when the spine becomes unstable. Usually, non-surgical treatment is recommended when the patient displays little to no neurological deficits. However, Dr Bomela may have to perform surgery to treat the infection when the destruction of the bones causes the spine to become unstable, significant neurological deficits occur, sepsis arises due to an abscess, cultures remain irretrievable and intravenous antibiotics are unable to treat the infection.

Surgery aims to debride the infectious, dead tissue and promote blood flow to the area. In addition, in the event of spinal instability, Dr Bomela will have to perform spinal fusion through the use of hardware to stabilise and fuse the vertebrae.
Lastly and more importantly, with surgery, there remains a greater chance of restoring the patient’s neurological function. Once the surgery is deemed necessary, an MRI, CT scan and x-ray can pinpoint the region that requires the most surgical work.