Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis of the spine in children--characteristics from a high burden setting.

Background: Few studies have described children with spinal multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Treatment involves surgery and medical care with long courses of drug therapy.

Methods: Hospital and laboratory records at Brooklyn Chest and Tygerberg Children's Hospitals, Cape Town, South Africa, were analysed (January 2004 until December 2010) searching for children treated for MDR spinal TB.

Traumatic dislocation of the atlanto-occipital joint.

We present four patients who had sustained a traumatic dislocation of the atlanto-occipital joint. The diagnosis was initially missed in two patients. One patient, who was neurologically intact, was treated non-operatively.

The radiological outcome of lumbar spinal fusion using a South African-developed dynamic spinal fixation system.

Objectives: To investigate the radiological outcome of the use of a new Cape Town-developed spinal fixation system.

Design: One hundred and fifty-five patients underwent posterior lumbar spinal fusions with this fixation system and autogenous bone graft more than a year ago. Of these 121 were available for radiological follow-up.