Does the Number of Levels Fused Affect Spinopelvic Parameters and Clinical Outcomes Following Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion for Low-Grade Spondylolisthesis?

Study Design: Retrospective cohort. Objectives: To determine how the number of fused intervertebral levels affects radiographic parameters and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing open posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) for low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study on patients who underwent open PLF for low-grade spondylolisthesis at a single institution from 2011 to 2018. Patients were divided into groups based on number of levels fused during their procedure (1, 2, or 3 or more). Preoperative and postoperative spinopelvic radiographic parameters, patient-reported outcomes (Visual Analog Scale [VAS]-back, VAS-leg, Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), and postoperative complications were compared. Results: Of the 316 patients eligible (203 one-level, 95 two-level, 18 three or more levels), change in initial postoperative to final pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis was greatest in 2-level fusions ( P = .039), while 3 or more level fusions had worse final pelvic tilt measures ( P = .021). In addition, multilevel fusions had worse final VAS-back scores (2-level: P = .015; 3 or more levels: P = .011), higher rates of dural tears (2-level: P = .001), reoperation (2-level: P = .039), and discharge to facility (3 or more levels: P = .047) when compared with 1-level fusions. Conclusions: Patients in multilevel fusions experienced less improvement in back pain, had more complications, and were more commonly discharged to a facility compared with single-level PLF patients. These findings are important for operative planning, for setting appropriate preoperative expectations, and for risk stratification in patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion for low-grade spondylolisthesis.

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Do Clinical Outcomes and Sagittal Parameters Differ Between Diabetics and Nondiabetics for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis Undergoing Lumbar Fusion?

Global Spine Journal ◽

10.1177/2192568219850090 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 286-293

Author(s):

Jannat M. Khan ◽

Joseph Michalski ◽

Bryce A. Basques ◽

Philip K. Louie ◽

Oscar Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Postoperative Complications ◽

Spinal Fusion ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Lumbar Fusion ◽

Degenerative Spondylolisthesis ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Lumbar Spinal Fusion ◽

Radiographic Outcomes ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Lumbar Spinal

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objective: To assess the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on clinical and radiographic outcomes in patient with degenerative spondylolisthesis undergoing posterior lumbar spinal fusion. Methods: Analysis of patients who underwent open posterior lumbar spinal fusion from 2011 to 2018. Patients being medically treated for DM were identified and separated from nondiabetic patients. Visual analogue scale Back/Leg pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were collected, and achievement of minimal clinically important difference was evaluated. Lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), and PI-LL difference were measured on radiographs. Rates of postoperative complications were also collected. Results: A total of 850 patients were included; 78 (9.20%) diabetic patients and 772 (90.80%) nondiabetic patients. Final PI-LL difference was significantly larger ( P = .032) for patients with diabetes compared to no diabetes, but there were no other significant differences between radiographic measurements, operative time, or postoperative length of stay. There were no differences in clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. Diabetic patients were found to have a higher rate of discharge to a facility following surgery ( P = .018). No differences were observed in reoperation or postoperative complication. Conclusions: While diabetic patients had more associated comorbidities compared with nondiabetic patients, they had similar patient-reported and radiographic outcomes. Similarly, there are no differences in rates of reoperation or postoperative complications. This study indicates that diabetic patients who have undergone thorough preoperative screening of related comorbidities and appropriate selection should be considered for lumbar spinal fusion.

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Effects of preoperative obesity and psychiatric comorbidities on minimum clinically important differences for lumbar fusion in grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis: analysis from the prospective Quality Outcomes Database registry

Journal of Neurosurgery Spine ◽

10.3171/2020.4.spine20296 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 635-642

Author(s):

Joseph Laratta ◽

Leah Y. Carreon ◽

Avery L. Buchholz ◽

Andrew Y. Yew ◽

Erica F. Bisson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spinal Fusion ◽

Preoperative Diagnosis ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Lumbar Fusion ◽

Degenerative Spondylolisthesis ◽

Leg Pain ◽

Quality Outcomes ◽

Medical Comorbidities ◽

Fusion Procedure ◽

Patient Reported

OBJECTIVEMedical comorbidities, particularly preoperatively diagnosed anxiety, depression, and obesity, may influence how patients perceive and measure clinical benefit after a surgical intervention. The current study was performed to define and compare the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds in patients with and without preoperative diagnoses of anxiety or depression and obesity who underwent spinal fusion for grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis.METHODSThe Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) was queried for patients who underwent lumbar fusion for grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis during the period from January 2014 to August 2017. Collected patient-reported outcomes (PROs) included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), health status (EQ-5D), and numeric rating scale (NRS) scores for back pain (NRS-BP) and leg pain (NRS-LP). Both anchor-based and distribution-based methods for MCID calculation were employed.RESULTSOf 462 patients included in the prospective registry who underwent a decompression and fusion procedure, 356 patients (77.1%) had complete baseline and 12-month PRO data and were included in the study. The MCID values for ODI scores did not significantly differ in patients with and those without a preoperative diagnosis of obesity (20.58 and 20.69, respectively). In addition, the MCID values for ODI scores did not differ in patients with and without a preoperative diagnosis of anxiety or depression (24.72 and 22.56, respectively). Similarly, the threshold MCID values for NRS-BP, NRS-LP, and EQ-5D scores were not statistically different between all groups. Based on both anchor-based and distribution-based methods for determination of MCID thresholds, there were no statistically significant differences between all cohorts.CONCLUSIONSMCID thresholds were similar for ODI, EQ-5D, NRS-BP, and NRS-LP in patients with and without preoperative diagnoses of anxiety or depression and obesity undergoing spinal fusion for grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. Preoperative clinical and shared decision-making may be improved by understanding that preoperative medical comorbidities may not affect the way patients experience and assess important clinical changes postoperatively.

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Best versus worst surgical outcomes after single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery ◽

10.1177/2309499020983038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 230949902098303

Author(s):

Se-Jun Park ◽

Keun-Ho Lee ◽

Chong-Suh Lee ◽

Ki-Tack Kim ◽

Dong Hyeon Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Outcome ◽

Interbody Fusion ◽

Lumbar Fusion ◽

Degenerative Spondylolisthesis ◽

Individual Treatment ◽

Symptom Duration ◽

Lumbar Interbody Fusion ◽

Characteristic Analysis ◽

Single Level ◽

Patient Reported

Purpose: Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the factors affecting the clinical outcome after fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, no study has compared the best and worst clinical outcome groups using patient-reported outcome measures. We aimed to compare the characteristics of patients with best and worst outcomes following single-level lumbar fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods: 200 patients underwent single-level interbody fusion with a minimum 2-years follow-up were included. We excluded patients with surgical complications already-known to be associated with poor postoperative outcomes, including pseudoarthrosis and postoperative infection. According to 2-year postoperative Oswestry disability index scores, patients were divided into two groups; Best and Worst. Demographic, clinical and radiographic variables were compared between the two groups. Results: Compared with patients in the Best group, those in the Worst group were older (59.5 and 67.0 years, respectively; p = 0.012; odds ratio [OR], 1.143; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.030–1.269) and had a longer duration of pain from onset (2.6 and 7.2 years, respectively; p = 0.041; OR, 1.021; 95% CI, 1.001–1.041). The cutoff value of pain duration from onset was measured as ≥3.5 years on Receiver operating characteristic analysis. Patients in the Worst group had a lower preoperative angular motion compared to those in the Best group (12.7° and 8.3°, respectively; p = 0.016; OR, 0.816; 95% CI, 0.691–0.963). Conclusions: Degenerative spondylolisthesis patients of good clinical outcome after single-level lumbar interbody fusion were relatively young, had a short symptom duration before surgery, and a high preoperative instability compared with the patient having poor postoperative clinical outcome. Therefore, these findings should be considered preoperatively when deciding the appropriate individual treatment plan.

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