Risk of adjacent segment disease after spine surgery: predictors for future surgery

spine surgeryA group of researchers examined the risk factors for adjacent segment disease following spinal fusion and non-fusion surgery and published their findings in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The retrospective analysis examined a consecutive series of 1,358 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery performed by a single surgeon. The procedural breakdown included:

• 1,038 anterior approaches
• 29 posterior approaches
• 28 combined anterior and posterior approaches

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Neurosurgeon or Orthopoedic surgeon: who should do your spine surgery?

spine surgeryA study published in Spine examines how surgeon specialty impacts elective spine surgery outcomes.

The researchers analyzed data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Database. There were 50,361 patients included in the study. Neurosurgeons performed surgery on 66 percent; the remaining were treated by an orthopedic surgeon.

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