Serum Procalcitonin and sCD14-ST useful diagnostic markers for postoperative spinal infection

Serum levels of PCT, CRP, and sCD14-ST were measured in 490 (289 male/201 female) patients who underwent spinal surgery (SS) before and 1 day after surgery. PCT and sCD14-ST levels of patients diagnosed with postoperative infection (PI) and patients diagnosed with postoperative non-infection (PN) were compared.

The observations of the study were:

• Serum levels of PCT, CRP, and sCD14-ST were significantly increased after surgery (F=58.393, P=0.000).

• In patients diagnosed as having a PI, serum levels of PCT and sCD14-ST were positively correlated with each other (r=0.90, P< 0.01) and with operation duration (r=0.92, 0.88, P< 0.01).• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) models showed that both PCT (AUC=0.817, optimal cutoff: 0.69 ng/ml, P=0.000) and sCD14-ST (AUC=0.824, optimal cutoff: 258.27 pg/ml, P=0.000) can distinguish PI versus PN patients well.

The authors concluded that - "the serum levels of PCT and sCD14-ST could be used as sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarkers for postoperative infection after spine surgery, providing new ideas for diagnosing infection at an early stage."

Further reading:

Usage of procalcitonin and sCD14-ST as diagnostic markers for postoperative spinal infection

Xi Zhu, Kaige Li et al

Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (2022) 23:25

https://doi.org/10.1186/s10195-022-00644-9