Cervical Infection Treatment in Dubai
Overview
The neck encompasses a complex network of muscles, bones, and nerves, playing a crucial role in supporting your head and enabling movement. Unfortunately, this area is also susceptible to infections. A cervical infection can occur in various tissues within the neck, causing discomfort and impacting your daily activities.
The condition involves the cervical spine and surrounding tissues and can pose significant health risks if not addressed promptly. These infections may result from bacterial, viral, or fungal pathogens and can lead to symptoms such as neck pain, swelling, fever, and neurological deficits. Thus, early diagnosis and apt treatment are crucial to prevent serious complications, including the spread of infection and potential damage to the spinal cord.
At King’s Spine Centre, we offer expert care and advanced diagnostic techniques for cervical infection treatment in Dubai to ensure optimal recovery and patient well-being.
Understanding Cervical Infection
Cervical infections, also known as spinal infections, are uncommon conditions caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses. These infections can impact various areas, including the intervertebral disc space, spinal bones, spinal canal, or the soft tissues surrounding the spinal cord.
When the infection affects the intervertebral disc, it is classified as discitis, while infections in the vertebral bones are termed osteomyelitis.
The bacteria responsible for these infections typically spread to the spine via the bloodstream. As the infection advances, it leads to degeneration of the disc space and subsequently spreads to the vertebral bones. This can cause the infected vertebrae to collapse, resulting in spinal deformities or neurological symptoms such as numbness and weakness.
Our highly trained specialists are adept at identifying the initial signs of infections, ensuring that you receive effective cervical infection treatment.
Causes of Cervical Infection
Spinal infections can result from bacterial or fungal infections in other parts of the body that are carried to the spine through the bloodstream. One of the most common bacterial causes is staphylococcus aureus, followed by Escherichia coli.
- Post-Urological Procedures: Spinal infections may occur following a urological procedure due to veins in the lower spine extending through the pelvis.
- Commonly Affected Areas: The lumbar region is the most frequently affected area, whereas intravenous drug users are more prone to cervical region infections.
Intervertebral disc space infections likely start in one of the adjacent end plates, with the disc becoming infected secondarily. In children, there is some debate about the origin.
Symptoms of Cervical Infection
Neck pain is the most frequent symptom in patients with a cervical spine infection. The pain is typically persistent and can occur at night, often unrelieved by rest or standard treatments. Patients may also experience neck stiffness and reduced range of motion.
If the infection has progressed, it can cause neurologic symptoms such as weakness or numbness due to compression or irritation of the nerves. Additionally, patients may exhibit systemic symptoms like low-grade fever, chills, night sweats, fatigue, malaise, and loss of appetite.
If you do not want the infection to gradually erode a significant portion of the bone and potentially destabilise and compromise the neurological structures, you must reach out for appropriate cervical infection treatment.
Treatment Options for Cervical Infection
Non-Surgical Approach
Following are some of the non-surgical treatment options for cervical infection:
- Our doctors may also recommend a long-term intravenous course of antifungal therapy or antibiotics for cervical infection.
- Immobilization may be advised if there is significant pain or a risk of spine instability.
- If the patient is neurologically stable and the spinal column is structurally sound, antibiotics should be administered after identifying the infection-causing organism.
- Patients typically receive antimicrobial therapy for at least six to eight weeks.
Surgical Intervention
In case the non-invasive treatment method does not prove effective enough, our experts may opt for any of the surgical techniques:
METRx Minimally Invasive Hemilaminectomy
A hemilaminectomy is a spinal surgery where a portion of one of the two laminae on a vertebra is removed to alleviate pressure on spinal nerves in the lumbar spine (lower back). This procedure can help relieve symptoms such as back pain and radiating leg pain. The METRx hemilaminectomy is a minimally invasive technique that uses METRx technologies.
Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion (ACDF)
Anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) is a surgery aimed at relieving pressure on nerve roots.
Through a small incision in the front of the neck, our surgeon:
- Removes the intervertebral disc to access the compressed neural structures.
- Places a bone graft to fuse the adjacent vertebrae.
- May implant a small metal plate to stabilize the spine during healing.
Posterior Fusion
Following procedures like discectomy or laminectomy, which involve removing parts of one or more vertebrae to relieve spinal cord and nerve pressure, posterior fusion is used to stabilize the spine. This involves using fusion instrumentation and bone grafting. Metal or non-metal hardware is placed to hold the vertebrae together as the bone graft grows, fusing the vertebrae.
If surgery is deemed necessary, imaging tools such as plain X-rays, CT scans, or MRI can help determine the precise level for the procedure.
Why choose King’s Spine Centre for Cervical Infection Treatment in Dubai?
At King’s Spine Centre, our experienced specialists are adept at identifying the initial signs of cervical spine infections, ensuring prompt treatment.
We provide comprehensive care through a collaborative team approach, encompassing experts in spine care, infectious diseases, pain management, and physical therapy. Furthermore, our skilled spine and orthopaedic specialists tailor personalized treatment plans to optimize outcomes, allowing you to return to your preferred activities with confidence.
