Chronic implant infection is associated with pedicle screw loosening after spinal fusion surgery, according to a study in the European Spine Journal.
Here are three things to know:
1. Intraoperative infection screening from wound and explanted material sonication was performed during revision surgeries after dorsal stabilization. Study authors featured 110 spinal metal explantation cases in the retrospective database analysis.
2. In 29.1 percent of revision cases, infection screenings identified the presence of infection, most commonly:
- Staphylococcus — 53.1 percent
- Propionibacterium — 40.6 percent
3. Patients who screened positive for infection had a significantly higher number of previous spinal operations and screw loosening.