Potts disease

What is Potts disease?

Pott’s disease of the spine is tuberculous spondylitis. Like pyogenic (bacterial) spondylitis, it can affect one or more vertebral bodies. Unlike bacterial discitis-osteomyelitis, however, Mycobacterium tuberculosis typically causes less disc space destruction than pyogenic infection, often spreading along the longitudinal ligaments of the spine to affect several vertebral bodies with relative preservation of their intervertebral discs. In advanced stages, tuberculosis causes vertebral destruction and advanced kyphotic deformities. Once common—and even visible on archeological specimens of human skeletons—Pott’s disease is now quite uncommon.

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