PURPOSE: To assess mortality, disability, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis.

METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on all patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis over a 6-year period at a single tertiary spine center. Indications for surgery, pre- and postoperative neurological impairment, comorbidities, and mortality were recorded. A survey was conducted on all eligible patients with the EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were diagnosed with spondylodiscitis not related to recent spine surgery. One-year mortality rate was 6%. In all, 36% and 27% had pre- and postoperative neurological impairment, respectively, with only one patient experiencing deterioration postoperatively. At final follow-up (median 2 years), mean ODI was 31% (SD = 22) and mean EQ-5D time trade-off score was 0.639 (SD = 0.262); this was significantly lower than that in the normal population ( p < 0.001). Patients with neurological impairment prior to index surgery had lower EQ-5D scores ( p = 0.005) and higher ODI ( p = 0.02) at final follow-up compared with patients without neurological impairment.

CONCLUSIONS: Several years after surgery, patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis have significantly lower HRQL and more disability than the background population. Neurological impairment prior to index surgery predicts adverse outcome in terms of disability and lower HRQL.