Table 1.
Characterization of 30 patients undergoing spinal surgery.
| Characterization of Patients | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age, median (range) | 55 (20–78) |
| Sex, female | 12 (40) |
| Smoker | 10 (33) |
| Previous cortisone infiltration | 8 (26.7) |
| Characterization of Biopsies | |
| Spinal Area | |
| Cervical | 11 (36.7) |
| Lumbar | 19 (63.6) |
| Degree of disc degeneration–Pfirrmann Score 1 | |
| II | 3 (10) |
| III | 17 (56.7) |
| IV | 9 (30) |
| V | 1 (3.3) |
| Modic changes 2 | |
| I | 12 (40) |
| II | 15 (50) |
| Unknown | 3 (10) |
| Tissue | |
| Annulus fibrosus | 6 (20) |
| Nucleus pulposus | 19 (63.3) |
| Mix | 5 (16.7) |
| Disease | |
| Disc herniation | 10 (33.3) |
| Disc degeneration | 20 (66.7) |
| Positive Culture Result | 7 (23.3) |
| Cutibacterium acnes | 3 (10) |
| Coagulase-negative staphylococci 3 | 3 (10) |
| Unknown 4 | 1 (3.3) |
1 Pfirrmann Score = a grading system for disc degeneration on MRI T2-spin-echo weighted images. 2 Modic changes = a grading system for pathological changes in the bones of the spine (body of the vertebrae and in the end plate of the neighboring disc). 3 Staphylococcus hominis (n = 1), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (n = 1), Staphylococcus capitis/Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 1). 4 Unknown pathogen (unsuccessful identification by MALDI-TOF, DNA not stored for molecular analysis).