Demographic data of the spinal thoracic tuberculosis patients at the initial visit.
| Characteristic | Neurodeficit Group (n = 71) | Control Group (n = 44) | P Value |
| Age, y, mean ± SD | 56.69 ± 16.95 | 58.00 ± 14.80 | 0.674 |
| Sex | 0.339 | ||
| Male | 38 (53.5%) | 19 (43.2%) | |
| Female | 33 (46.5%) | 25 (56.8%) | |
| BMI, mean ± SD | 21.53 ± 4.89 | 20.39 ± 3.42 | 0.182 |
| Level of thoracic involvement | |||
| Proximal thoracic (T1-T4) | 9 (12.7%) | 1 (2.3%) | 0.037 |
| Middle thoracic (T5-T8) | 23 (32.4%) | 9 (20.4%) | |
| Distal thoracic (T9-T12/L1) | 38 (53.5%) | 34 (77.3%) | |
| Extensive lesion | 1 (1.4%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Onset, d, mean ± SD | 113.60 ± 179.8 | 100.02 ± 122.09 | 0.660 |
| <30 | 18 (25.4%) | 7 (15.9%) | 0.398 |
| 30–90 | 32 (45.0%) | 25 (56.8%) | |
| >90 | 21 (29.6%) | 12 (27.3%) | |
| Peak ESR, mean ± SD | 64.84 ± 27.83 | 62.37 ± 28.62 | 0.652 |
| Peak CRP, mean ± SD | 66.55 ± 63.73 | 47.88 ± 62.88 | 0.133 |
| Type of involvement | |||
| Paradiscal | 49 (69%) | 35 (79.5%) | 0.050 |
| Central | 6 (8.5%) | 7 (15.9%) | |
| Panvertebral | 13 (18.3%) | 2 (4.6%) | |
| Anterior | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Posterior | 3 (4.2%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Compression | |||
| Abscess | 53 (74.6%) | 30 (68.2%) | 0.281 |
| Granulation tissue | 7 (9.9%) | 6 (13.6%) | |
| Disc | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.3%) | |
| Vertebral body bulging | 9 (12.7%) | 5 (11.4%) | |
| None | 0 (0%) | 2 (4.5%) | |
| Combined | 2 (2.8%) | 0 (0%) | |
| X-ray imaging | |||
| Number of vertebral involvement | 1.73 ± 0.64 | 1.68 ± 0.67 | 0.709 |
| AVH loss | |||
| >50% | 36 (51.4%) | 23 (54.8%) | 0.845 |
| <50% | 35 (48.6%) | 21 (45.2%) | |
| Kyphosis | |||
| >30๐ | 14 (20%) | 7 (16.7%) | 0.804 |
| <30๐ | 57 (80%) | 37 (83.3%) | |
| MRI | |||
| Loss of anterior CSF | 69 (97.2%) | 41 (93.2%) | 0.369 |
| Loss of posterior CSF | 62 (87.3%) | 21 (47.7%) | <0.001 |
| Cord signal change | 56 (78.9%) | 8 (18.2%) | <0.001 |
| Canal encroachment, %, mean [SD] | 32.92 ± 15.64 | 56.79 ± 27.42 | <0.001 |
| Canal encroachment >50% | 66 (92.9%) | 21 (47.7%) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: AVH, anterior vertebral height; CRP, C-reactive protein; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
Note: Data presented as n (%) unless otherwise noted. Bold values represent statistically significant comparisons (P < 0.05).