European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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To examine the incidence of occult infection in revision spine surgeries and its correlation with preoperative inflammatory markers. ⋯ Our study shows that occult infections are present in 9.3% of patients who underwent revision spine surgery and hardware removal although they did not have clinical signs of infection. Those commonly used preoperative inflammatory markers such as ESR, CRP, and procalcitonin may not be sensitive enough to detect occult infections in these patients. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
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Abstract