To assess the safety and efficacy of one-stage posterior surgery in the treatment of lumbar brucellar spondylitis with epidural abscess.

A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 cases of lumbar brucellar spondylitis patients who were treated by one-stage posterior radical debridement, lamina decompression, short segment internal fixation, and intervertebral fusion from January 2014 to December 2018.

The 23 patients were followed for an average period of (16.28±3.26) months. All the incisions achieved primary healing. There was no loss, breakage, or loosening of internal fixation. The brucellosis spondylitis symptoms disappeared in all patients. According to the operative efficacy criteria proposed by Nakano et al for low back pain, the results were excellent in 16 cases, good in 5 cases, and fair in 2 cases. The bone graft fusion time was (7.42±1.26) months.

On the basis of standard anti-brucellosis chemotherapy, one-stage clearance of lesions, posterior debridement, short segment of internal fixation, and intervertebral fusion are a safe and effective surgical method for lumbar brucellar spondylitis with epidural abscess.