Objective      To explore the advantages and disadvantages of 2 kinds of surgical procedures through the comparative study of posterior approach and anterior approach for single segment thoracic tuberculosis.       Methods      From May 2006 to July 2013

56 single segment thoracic tuberculosis patients were retrospectively analyzed

including 29 males and 27 females at an average age of 38(18~76) years old. The patients in group A underwent one-staged anterior debridement

bone grafting and instrumentation

while the ones in group B underwent single posterior debridement

bone grafting and instrumentation. The patients were followed up to observe the curative effects. The operation time

bleeding amount

hospitalization days

and bone graft fusion time were compared by independent sample t test. The erythrocyte sedimentaon rate (ESR)

C-reactive protein (CRP)

and kyphosis and scoliosis deformity were compared by single-factor analysis of variance. The ASIA grade and complications before operation and at the last follow-up were compared with nonparametric test.       Results      All patients were followed up for an average of 29 (24 to 56) months. All patients were cured. In the postoperative kyphosis and scolisis angle lost

group A was better than group B. There was no significant differences in the operation time

bleeding amount

hospitalization days

bone graft fusion time

neurological function improvement

kyphosis and scoliosis correction

and postoperative complication incidence between the 2 groups (P0.05).       Conclusion      Both 2 kinds of surgical procedures have good clinical results in the treatment of thoracic tuberculosis. Compared with the anterior approach

the posterior approach has more advantages in the maintenance of the posterior convex and scoliosis correction. Therefore

it is prior to choose the posterior approach.