Infection after spinal fusion for pediatric spinal deformity: thirty years of experience at a single institution.

Study Design: A retrospective, consecutive case study of 1571 pediatric patients who underwent spinal deformity surgery and had minimum 2-year follow-up.

Objective: To identify (1) the rate of infection after pediatric spinal deformity surgery; (2) the number of surgeries required to treat a postoperative infection after a pediatric spinal deformity surgery; (3) the percentage of patients with a postoperative infection after pediatric spinal deformity surgery who require implant removal to quantify the effect of removal on the deformity; and (4) the microbiology of postoperative infections after pediatric spinal deformity surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Several previous reports have discussed the rates of infection after spinal surgery for pediatric spinal deformity.