DISCITIS

¹ The Orthopaedic Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne

1. Thirty-five children suffering from a mild illness with narrowing of an intervertebral disc have been studied.

2. Backache was the presenting symptom in only a small proportion of children, vague aching in the legs being almost as common at the onset.

3. Stiffness of the affected part of the spine is often present, but there may be no abnormal signs in the back.

4. Radiographs reveal a narrowed disc space with adjacent bony changes. There is usually progressive narrowing of the disc space which may go on to fusion of the affected vertebrae. Less commonly there is reconstitution of the affected disc.

5. The symptoms and signs quickly subside with immobilisation in recumbency and this treatment should be continued until the blood sedimentation rate returns to normal.

6. Adults who have suffered from discitis in childhood are probably more prone to develop backache.

7. The etiology remains uncertain.