Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis. Disk space infections.

Abstract

More than 30 years ago Michael Bonfiglio, with Thomas Lange and Young Kim, published this classic paper on osteomyelitis of vertebrae with secondary disc space infections. Dr. Bonfiglio and his associates had studied this condition in 21 children and 32 adults, one of the largest series recorded. He clarified the pathogenesis of disc space infections and outlined problems associated with diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Bonfiglio was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1917. He received his degree in medicine from the University of Chicago. While he was an intern there, working with children suffering through one of the polio epidemics inspired him to become an orthopedic surgeon. He spent most of his career at the University of Iowa. He died in 1995 and was memorialized in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery that year.