Frequency and clinical meaning of long-term degenerative changes after lumbar discectomy visualized on imaging tests.

The aim of this retrospective controlled study was to evaluate radiographic degeneration in the lumbar spine of patients who had undergone lumbar discectomy minimum 21 years earlier and its clinical meaning. Indeed, no previous investigation on degenerative changes occurring after lumbar discectomy with a comparable long follow-up has been published. The study participants consisted of 50 patients who had undergone discectomy for lumbar disc herniation.

Osteoarticular tuberculosis in a developed country.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and diagnostic features of osteoarticular tuberculosis (OT) from a series of cases seen over 30 years in a large university hospital in Naples, Italy.

Methods: We reviewed the files of all patients admitted to our department from 1975 to 2004 with a diagnosis of osteoarticular tuberculosis.

Results: We identified 136 patients with 140 osteoarticular tuberculosis lesions.