Revision Surgery for Symptomatic Adjacent Segment Disc Degeneration after Initial Anterior Cervical Fusion: Is ROI-C Better than Plate-Cage Construct?

The optimal revision surgical strategy for patients who develop symptomatic adjacent segment disc degeneration (ASD) is controversial. The risks of intraoperative complications, especially the incidence of dysphagia, were relatively high for revision surgeries. This study was aimed at comparing the efficacy of revision surgery using a traditional plate-cage construct and zero-profile anchored spacer (ROI-C) device in treating symptomatic ASD after initial anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. Forty-two patients who developed symptomatic ASD were retrospectively analyzed and classified into two groups (plate-cage group and ROI-C group). The clinical and radiological results were compared. We further evaluated the complication of dysphagia and dysphagia-related risk factors in these patients. The JOA and NDI scores, C2-7 lordotic angle, and intervertebral space height were significantly improved after revision surgery in both groups. The operative time and intraoperative blood loss both significantly decreased in the ROI-C group. The incidence of postoperative dysphagia was much lower in the ROI-C group than in the plate-cage group (18.75% vs. 57.69%; P = 0.01 ). The presence of dysphagia after initial surgery ( P = 0.003 ) and revision surgery type ( P = 0.01 ) was significantly related to the presence of dysphagia after revision surgery. These results indicated that both the plate-cage construct and ROI-C are effective in treating symptomatic ASD. However, compared with the traditional plate-cage construct, ROI-C with less operative time, less blood loss, and lower incidence of dysphagia is more suitable. Furthermore, ROI-C should preferably be used for patients who present with dysphagia after initial cervical surgery. This study will provide clinical guidance for spinal surgeons to choose the zero-profile device in treating specific and complicated cases, which will significantly improve the therapeutic efficacy of symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration.

The predictive value of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphometry on complications after lumbar surgery: a systematic review

Purpose The effect of paraspinal muscles atrophy and fat infiltration (FI) on the complications of spinal surgery has not been established. Methods A review of the literature was conducted from a search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through January 2021. The literature was searched and assessed by independent reviewers based on criteria that included an assessment of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphology in addition to measuring its relationship to surgical complications. All relevant papers were assessed for risk of bias according to the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Results The initial search yielded 5632 studies, of which 16 studies were included in the analysis. All included studies were at a low risk of bias. There existed strong evidence that the atrophy and FI of paraspinal muscles had an association with the development of bone nonunion (two high quality studies), pedicle screw loosening (two high quality studies), adjacent segment degeneration (three high quality studies) and proximal junctional kyphosis (five high quality studies) after lumbar surgery. Besides, there is also limited evidence for association between atrophy and FI of paraspinal extensor muscles and less local and global curve improvement. Conclusions Strong evidence was found for an association between preoperative paraspinal muscle degeneration and multiple postoperative complications after lumbar surgery. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small quantity of the available literature and high heterogeneity among studies.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the 100 Most Cited Articles on Adjacent Segment Degeneration in Worldwide from 1985 to 2021

Study design.A bibliometric review of the literature.Objective.The objective of our study is to research and analyze the most frequently cited 100 articles on adjacent segment degeneration (ASD).Background.Fusion is an effective method for degenerative diseases, however the problem of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after the fusion are also becoming increasingly important. Numerous of literatures and related researches promoted the development of this field. A bibliometric analysis of the 100 most cited articles on adjacent segment degeneration can supply lots of information and guide the future researches.Methods.We searched and identified the100 top-cited articles from Web of Science (WOS), using title-specific search“adjacent segment degeneration”. All articles published in English language between 1985 and 2021 were included. The following information were recorded and analyzed with bibliometric method: first author, article title, journal of publication, year of publication, total number of citations, country, institution and authors’ specialty.Results.The most prolific years were 2015 and 2016, each had 12 articles published. The most citation years were 2020 and 2018, which the total citations were 522 and 438, respectively. The citation count of the top 50 articles ranged from 22 to 421. European Spine Journal contributed the maximum of 17 articles. With regard to the primary author’s specialty, clinical neurology contributed to the majority of top 100 list with 75 articles, SHEN Y published the most of 5 articles. China mainland had produced 29 articles in the first. With regard to institutions, the most one was from Yonsei University with 8 articles.Conclusion.This study searched and analyzed the top 100 influential articles on ASD and provided a meaningful resource with detailed information for spine surgeons who may much more better to understand the trend in this filed. They can also benefit from the emphasis on citation count to prepare high-level articles by themselves in the future.

Lumbar Stabilization with DSS-HPS® System: Radiological Outcomes and Correlation with Adjacent Segment Degeneration

Arthrodesis has always been considered the main treatment of degenerative lumbar disease. Adjacent segment degeneration is one of the major topics related to fusion surgery. Non-fusion surgery may prevent this because of the protective effect of persisting segmental motion. The aims of the study were (1) to describe the radiological outcomes in the adjacent vertebral segment after lumbar stabilization with DSS-HPS® system and (2) to verify the hypothesis that this system prevents the degeneration of the adjacent segment. This is a retrospective monocentric analysis of twenty-seven patients affected by degenerative lumbar disease underwent spinal hybrid stabilization with the DSS-HPS® system between January 2016 and January 2019. All patients completed 1-year radiological follow-up. Preoperative X-rays and magnetic resonance images, as well as postoperative radiographs at 1, 6 and 12 months, were evaluated by one single observer. Pre- and post-operative anterior and posterior disc height at the dynamic (DL) and adjacent level (AL) were measured; segmental angle (SA) of the dynamized level were measured. There was a statistically significant decrease of both anterior (p = 0.0003 for the DL, p = 0.036 for the AL) and posterior disc height (p = 0.00000 for the DL, p = 0.00032 for the AL); there were a statistically significant variations of the segmental angle (p = 0.00000). Eleven cases (40.7%) of radiological progression of disc degeneration were found. The DSS-HPS® system does not seem to reduce progression of lumbar disc degeneration in a radiologic evaluation, both in the dynamized and adjacent level.

Impact of patient-specific factors and spinopelvic alignment on the development of adjacent segment degeneration after short-segment lumbar fusion

Objectives: The main purpose of the study was to analyse the different demographical, morphological, and surgery-related parameters influencing the development or progress of degeneration in adjacent segments after routine, short-segment lumbar fusions.Summary of Background data: Adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) considered as a major long-term complication after lumbar fusions. Possible risk factors are related to the patients’ demographics, spinopelvic anatomy or preoperative lumbar intervertebral disc conditions. The current literature lacks of well-designed prospective studies focusing on the multidimensional nature of the condition.Methods: A prospective cohort of 100 patients who underwent one- or two-level lumbar transforaminal interbody fusions due to lumbar degenerative pathology was conducted. Demographical, radiological findings (spinopelvic parameters, adjacent segmental radiological as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features) and long-term outcome data (5-year) were analysed to identify factors associated with ASD. Results: ASD patients showed higher level of pain (p=0.004) and disability (p=0.020) at follow-up. In univariate analysis, older age, upper-level lumbar fusion (p=0.007), lower L4-S1 lordosis (p=0.039), PI-LL mismatch (p=0.021), Pfirrmann grade III or higher disc degeneration (p=0.002) and the presence of disc bulge/herniation were (p=0.007) associated with ASD. Final result of multivariate analysis showed major degenerative sign (disc degeneration and/or disc bulge) as a risk factor (OR 3.85, CI 1.43-10.37, p=0.006).Conclusion: By examining the role of different patient- and procedure-specific factors, we found that preoperative major degenerative signs at the adjacent segment increase the risk of ASD causing significantly worse outcome after short-segment lumbar fusion. Adjacent disc conditions should be considered carefully during surgical planning.

A Follow-up Study on the Degeneration of Adjacent Segments After TLIF and Foraminal Endoscopy

Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of postoperative adjacent segment degeneration in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods From 2014 to 2017, 87 patients who were diagnosed with single-levelLDH and received surgery of TLIF (group X, n = 43) or endoscopic discectomy (group F, n = 44) were retrospectively analyzed. X-ray, MRI, CT and clinical symptoms were recorded before operation and at the last follow-up. The neurological function was originally evaluated by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Radiological evaluation included the height of intervertebral space (HIS), intervertebral foramen height (FH), intervertebral foramen area (FA), lumbar lordosis (CA) and intervertebral disc degeneration Pfirrmann score.Results There was no significant difference in average operation age, JOA improvement rate, reoperation rate and complications between the two groups. The average blood loss, average hospital stays and average operation time in group F were lower than those in group X. During the last follow-up, HIS, CA and FA decreased in both groups, and the changes in group X were more significant than those in group F (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative FH between the two groups, but it decreased more in group X (P < 0.05).Conclusion Both TLIF and endoscopic surgery can achieve good results in the treatment of LDH, but the risk of lumbar adjacent segment degeneration after intervertebral foraminal surgery is lower.