Welcome to ICL360, a cutting-edge CME course designed to provide a holistic learning experience. Immerse yourself in curated video content sourced from the AAOS Annual Meeting, featuring expert-selected ICL lectures. Enhance your understanding with insightful commentary and comprehensive assessment questions. This all-encompassing course goes beyond traditional learning by offering a complete 360° perspective on orthopedic topics. Explore additional resources, including full-text readings from the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), technique videos from Orthopaedic Video Theater (OVT), and links to external literature and PubMed. Elevate your clinical decision-making skills and gain a well-rounded understanding of essential orthopedic concepts with ICL360. This Instructional Course Lecture reviews the multifaceted approaches required for effective management of spinal infections, including vertebral osteomyelitis, discitis, and epidural abscesses which are a critical and complex aspect of spinal surgery and pose considerable challenges because of their varied presentations and the severe implications of mismanagement.
At the conclusion of this course learners should be able to:
- Effectively diagnose vertebral osteomyelitis, incorporating clinical presentation and diagnostic imaging studies, and correlate inflammatory markers with patient symptoms for accurate assessment.
- Evaluate the indications for surgical management of spinal infections, including failed nonsurgical management and the presence of neurologic deficits or spinal instability.
- Implement advanced surgical techniques for the management of spinal infections, detailing procedures for débridement, decompression, and stabilization using contemporary hardware systems.
- Select appropriate antimicrobial therapy for spinal infections, including the transition from intravenous to oral agents as supported by current research findings.
- Assess the role of biomaterials in spinal surgery, distinguishing between the advantages and limitations of various implant materials in infection management.
