Weekly teriparatide therapy rapidly accelerates bone healing in pyogenic spondylitis with severe osteoporosis.

Abstract

Pyogenic spondylitis is a frequently observed disease in orthopedics, and the number of cases is increasing. Some patients with pyogenic spondylitis suffer from vertebral destruction due to infection. The disease is typically treated with antibiotics, bed rest, spinal support, and lesion curettage; however, vigorous drug therapy against vertebral body destruction by pyogenic spondylitis has not been attempted. In this report, a case of pyogenic spondylitis with spinal destruction caused by infection and treated with once-weekly teriparatide administration is presented. Vertebral body erosion in cortical and cancellous areas by the infection was rapidly repaired after 6 weeks of once-weekly teriparatide treatment. Treatment with once-weekly teriparatide appears to be a new strategy for patients with severe osteoporosis suffering from pyogenic spondylitis.