[Spondylodiscitis: clinical experience in a Chilean general hospital]. 
Spondylodiscitis (SD) involves long periods of hospitalization, diagnostic latency and risk of long-term complications.  No updated series are available in Chile and a change in demographic features and etiology is suspected.  To characterize a group of patients with SD.  Clinical series including patients over an 8 year period.  We identified 37 patients; 37.8% women and 62.2% men (mean age 66.8 years); 64.9% were elderly; 35.1% had diabetes and 21.6% urological comorbidity.  Main symptoms were pain and fever.  Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated in 89.2%, and 86.5% patients had MRI, which was always confirmatory.  Lumbar spine was the most common site of infection (43.2%).  Etiology was identified in 28/37 patients: 71.4% yielded grampositive cocci (Staphylococcus aureus predominantly), Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified in only 10.7%.  Staphylococcus aureus was associated to medical comorbidities (p < 0,05) and gramnegative bacilli to hepatobiliar or intestinal symptoms (p < 0,05).  Culture obtained by a surgical procedure had the highest yield.  The average duration of antibiotic therapy was 63.8 days (IQR 53-72).  Treatment-related side effects were detected in 18.9% of patients.  The average hospital stay was 38.9 days.  No deaths occurred during hospitalization.  Motor sequelae were present in 18.9% of this series.  Most patients with SD were older adults.  Staphylococcus aureus was predominant and M. tuberculosis was uncommon.  Antibiotic side effects were relevant as well as the neurological complications.