Author(s)

A. Abiodun Adeleke^1,2*, E. O. Komolafe³, O. A. Dada³, O. F. Owagbemi³

¹Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
²Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
³Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Background: Tuberculosis of the spine is common in Nigeria. It commonly causes neurological deficit especially when the lesions are higher up in the spine. Objective: To report a case of a young man who had C4 quadriplegia from tuberculous destruction of C3 to C5 vertebral bodies and their intervening discs, aretropharyngeal prevertebral abscess and associated segmental kyphosis. He had received prior antituberculous therapy with no improvement. Results: He recovered completely neurologically when he had adequate decompression and 360°; instrumented fusiondone in a 3-stage surgery that involved drainage and debridement of the retropharyngeal prevertebral abscess, anterior corpectomy of C3 and C4 with fusion using a titanium mesh cage, and posterior fusion of C3 to C6 using titanium rods and lateral mass screws. Surgical treatment was supported with skull traction and antituberculous therapy. Conclusion: This case shows that complete neurologic recovery is feasible in spinal quadriplegia that fails to respond to antituber-culous therapy when adequate decompression and fusion are done.

Spinal, Tuberculosis, Decompression, Fusion, Recovery

Adeleke, A. , Komolafe, E. , Dada, O. and Owagbemi, O. (2015) Spinal Decompression with 360° Instrumented Fusion for Unstable Tuberculous Quadriplegia in a Young Adult—A Case Report. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 3, 37-43. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2015.38004.