Functional Prognosis of Spinal Cord Injury Due to Spinal Tuberculosis

Spinal tuberculosis (TB), an extrapulmonary manifestation of TB, primarily involves one or multiple vertebrae, with a high prevalence at the thoracolumbar region, which can compromise spinal cord integrity and result in severe sequelae such as paraplegia, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and mobility limitation. This study aimed to review medical, surgical, and rehabilitation management, clinical outcomes, and prognostic factors of spinal TB with spinal cord injury (SCI). Research was conducted utilizing databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library to identify original research articles published between 2019 and 2024, along with systematic and narrative reviews, that were relevant to spinal TB and clinical outcomes. Antituberculosis drug therapy, incomplete motor deficits, early onset paraplegia, young age, and good nutritional status provide a better prognosis for neurological and functional recovery. On the other hand, poor prognosis factors are normochromic normocytic anemia, initial lymphocytosis, and fever; in addition, a long duration of disease, poor patient compliance to medications, multidrug-resistant TB, poor nutritional status, and the presence of comorbid systemic diseases are negative predictors for recovery. Insufficient research necessitates further investigation into spinal cord-specific outcomes for spinal TB to improve rehabilitation prognostics. Early intervention and antituberculosis therapy enhance better prognoses for neurological and functional recovery, especially in those with incomplete motor function, young age, good nutritional status, and compliance with treatment.